Infections can sometimes be life threatening. A fever may be the first or only sign of an infection. But some infections may not present with a fever and it could be another symptom.
Symptoms of bacterial infections vary depending on where in your body is infected. The main symptom is often fever, except skin infections, which usually cause redness or pain on your skin.
I – Infection – may have signs and symptoms of an infection.
Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms. Keep this in mind especially if you have recently had surgery or an invasive medical procedure, a break in your skin, or you have been exposed to someone who is ill.
The immune system doesn't function as efficiently in older adults as it does in younger people. The body's fever response to infection is not always automatic in elderly people. More than 20 percent of adults over age 65 who have serious bacterial infections do not have fevers.
A fever may be the first or only sign of an infection. But some infections may not present with a fever and it could be another symptom.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. Antibiotics may also be necessary if you feel better after a few days and then your symptoms return or if the infection lasts more than a week.
There are some general signs of bacterial infection: fever. feeling tired. swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, groin or elsewhere.
The common element with most bacterial infections are: Fever. Chills. Pain or discomfort in the affected area.
Bacterial Infections
Symptoms persist longer than the expected 10-14 days a virus tends to last. Fever is higher than one might typically expect from a virus. Fever gets worse a few days into the illness rather than improving.
But antibiotics only treat infections caused by bacteria. They don't work on viruses. The good news is that viral infections usually aren't serious. Most will go away in a few days without medical treatment.
To cause disease, a pathogen must successfully achieve four stages of pathogenesis to become an infection: exposure, adhesion (also called colonization), invasion, and infection.
With early intervention, most infections can be successfully treated with antibiotics, so it's important to see a physician if you notice any of the following: Increased pain or swelling. A foul smell from the wound. Pus-like drainage, fever or chills.
When Antibiotics Are Needed. Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics. We rely on antibiotics to treat serious, life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis, the body's extreme response to an infection.
Once unfriendly bacteria enter your body, your body's immune system tries to fight them off. But oftentimes, your body can't fight the infection naturally, and you need to take antibiotics - medication that kills the bacteria.
When do we need antibiotics? Antibiotics are for bacterial infections only. This includes infections such as bloodstream infections, skin abscess/impetigo, bacterial pneumonia, urinary tract infections, streptococcal pharyngitis and some middle ear infections.
Taking antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you really need them.
a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature. a change in mental state – like confusion or disorientation. slurred speech. cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin.
blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis. difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.
Severe breathlessness or sleepiness. It feels like you're going to die or pass out. Skin mottled or discoloured. An extremely high or a very low temperature; repeated vomiting; seizures; and a rash which doesn't fade when you press a glass against it are also possible 'red flags'.