STORY AT-A-GLANCE
In most cases, there’s no reason to fear a fever; using fever-reducing medications may prolong the illness
Increasing research supports the “let it ride” philosophy, which states that fever is protective and should be allowed to run its course
When critically ill patients were aggressively treated to reduce fever, the study had to be stopped early because so many people in the aggressive treatment group died compared to the group whose fevers weren’t treated
Several hours of mild fever is beneficial for COVID-19 patients, as it raises cellular levels of beneficial heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), which is protective in cases of sepsis-induced ARDS
In people with influenza, using fever-reducing drugs is linked to a 5% increase in mortality; in most cases, rest and plenty of fluids are all that’s needed when a fever strikes