Senior Health: Fever in a Senior
What is normal body temperature?
In adults, what is considered normal body temperature?
A range between 97 °F and 99°F (36.1°C to 37.2 °C)
In people over the age of 65 years, the temperature that is considered normal is 98.6°F (36.2°C).
What is considered to be a high temperature in a Senior?
A study from the year 2000 came out with a guideline: If a person’s temperature is 2°F or 1.1 °C higher than their normal temperature, then for that person it can be called having a fever.
The Mayo Clinic says that higher temperatures are usually a sign of infection.
Base body temperature might be a little different from one person to another. Therefore, it is important to look at other signs of wellness and not at the numbers on the thermometer alone. Some researchers from an elucidating study done in 1992 say that other factors can influence the direction of the temperature as well, such as time of day and even the food a person has eaten.
Illness that is indicated by Fever
Seniors above the age of 60 or 70 years are generally more fragile and have weaker immune systems. So, while a baby could sprout a fever while sprouting teeth, for seniors, the occurrence of fever can be relied upon to indicate a serious viral or bacterial infection.
Heat exhaustion and rheumatoid arthritis are other possible culprits, as are medications, such as those for high blood pressure.
In the event that a doctor decides that a person from the senior age bracket has a FUO (fever of unknown origin) it is most likely that it is something treatable and commonly found among seniors.
Recent Developments
For senior health there are different types of Wearable Health Devices (WHDs) that can help an individual keep track of their temperature or other vital signs inside or outside of a medical environment where it is recommended by a doctor or the wearer feels it is necessary. There are many articles on this topic. Here are a couple of articles:
Article 2: Loop Vital Signs Wearable Monitor from SpryHealth
Conclusion
Senior health is an extensive and important topic. Paying attention to a senior’s body temperature is essential. There have been cases where people have had an atypical illness with few or no externally visible symptoms, other than the occurrence of a high temperature.
