Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMeningitisEncephalitisCold or FluBrain AbscessSinus InfectionHeatstrokeRheumatoid ArthritisHIV or AIDSLupusOther CausesWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Meningitis
Encephalitis
Cold or Flu
Brain Abscess
Sinus Infection
Heatstroke
Rheumatoid Arthritis
HIV or AIDS
Lupus
Other Causes
When to Seek Care
The combination of afeverand aheadacheis a common sign of infection. Some infections that cause fever and headache, such as bacterial meningitis, can be serious and require hospitalization. Other infections that cause fever and headache are more run-of-the-mill and will get better on their own. Sometimes, fever and headache can be a sign of a chronic, non-infectious illness, like lupus or heatstroke.
The article discusses both infectious and non-infectious causes of a headache with a fever. It also covers other possible symptoms and when you should see a healthcare provider.
Verywell / Joshua Seong
While any type of meningitis can be serious, viral meningitis tends to be less severe than bacterial meningitis.
Symptoms
In addition to a severe, generalized headache and a high fever,symptoms of meningitismay include:
A person who has meningitis typically will not have all of these symptoms. If you think you may have symptoms of meningitis, seek immediate medical care.
In the majority of people with meningitis,nuchalrigiditywill be present. This means that a person can’t easily flex their neck, and they may be unable to touch their chin to their chest.
Treatment
Bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics. Because bacterial meningitis can be a serious, life-threatening infection, it’s important to start treatment as soon as possible.
The key difference between meningitis and encephalitis is that meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and encephalitis is inflammation of the brain itself. Both meningitis and encephalitis can cause abnormalities in brain function leading to confusion and seizures.
Encephalitis is a serious, life-threatening disease that needs immediate medical attention. Severe cases lead to death in about 10% of patients.
Because the two can be so difficult to differentiate, doctors sometimes use the term “meningoencephalitis.”
In addition to fever and headache, symptoms of encephalitis include:
Encephalitis causes symptoms with brain function as well, including:
Treatment depends on the type of encephalitis you have. If it’s a bacterial infection, antibiotics should be prescribed. For viral infections, antiviral medications may be given.Other treatments may depend on the severity and effects of the illness. Steroids may be given to reduce swelling and brain pressure.
Mono is usually mild, and the flu can cause mild symptoms or severe illness. In some instances, it can be serious enough to be life-threatening, especially for those over 65, people with chronic illnesses, and newborns.
Along with fever and headache, other symptoms of the flu or mono may include:
When you have a cold, the symptoms can be similar to the flu. Fever and headache are possible but less common with a cold than with the flu.
Symptoms of a cold include:
Often, the best treatment for a cold, the flu, or mono is to stay home, get lots of rest, and drink lots of fluids. Over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen may also help with a headache and fever.
Physicians don’t prescribe antibiotics for a cold, the flu, or mono since they’re not effective against viruses. However, if you get a complication from the cold or flu, such as a bacterial sinus infection, you might need an antibiotic.
A brain abscess is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition, in which infected fluid collects in the brain.
A headache from a brain abscess occurs as a result ofelevated intracranial pressureas the abscess continues to grow and take up space.
Symptoms of a brain abscess can resemble that of meningitis or encephalitis. In addition to fever and headache, symptoms include:
Medication may be the first step if the abscess is less than 2 centimeters or the abscess is deep in the brain. This can include antibiotics or antifungal medication, depending on what caused the infection. Diuretics, which reduce fluid, may also be used to decrease swelling in the brain.
Asinus infection, or sinusitis, is the swelling or inflammation of the lining in your sinuses. Your sinuses are hollow spaces behind your forehead, eyes, and cheeks that connect to your nasal passages.
A bacterial sinus infection can give you a fever and a sinus headache, which you may feel around your eyes and forehead.
Other symptoms include:
If you have bacterial sinusitis, a week or so of antibiotics, rest, fluids, and steam should clear it up quickly. Very rarely sinus infections lead to other complications like a brain abscess, meningitis, blood clot, orosteomyelitis—an infection of the facial bones (especially the forehead).
If you are diagnosed with a sinus infection, be sure to follow up with your healthcare provider if your fever persists while taking antibiotics.
Heatstrokeis the most severe form of heat-related illness. It happens when your body overheats to over 106°F and you aren’t able to sweat enough to cool your body down. It can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.
The symptoms of heatstroke include:
Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Call 911 if you suspect heatstroke.
While waiting for medical help, try cooling the person’s body as quickly as possible. Get to a shady, cool area. Have them lie down and elevate their feet. Apply cold water to the skin and then use a fan to help cool the body quickly.
In the emergency room, intravenous (IV) fluids will be used to replace fluids lost.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that it happens when the immune system attacks the body’s own healthy tissues. In some cases, it can cause fever and headaches.
RA can occasionally cause mild fevers. It can also cause headaches, particularly if it affects the cervical spine.
If HIV isn’t treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection in which the immune system is severely damaged.
Early HIV or AIDS can cause many different symptoms. Headache and fever are possible symptoms of both.
Symptoms of early HIV infection can happen two to four weeks after exposure to the virus. These early symptoms are estimated to affect about two-thirds of those infected.
Early HIV symptoms include:
If HIV isn’t treated, it weakens your immune system and can lead to AIDS. At this stage, you’re more likely to develop “opportunistic infections,” severe illnesses that your body can’t fight off. Depending on the infection, symptoms can include fevers, shortness of breath, blurred vision, and weight loss.
While there isn’t a cure for HIV, medications are available to control it. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves taking a daily combination of HIV medications. This reduces the amount of HIV in the blood and helps protect the immune system.
Lupusis an autoimmune disease. It can cause swelling and pain throughout your body. Your symptoms can be minimal at times and flare up at other times, suddenly becoming more severe.
Headaches are a common symptom for people with lupus. In a 2021 study, 54% of patients with lupus reported having primary headaches, with migraines being the most common.
Reoccuring low-grade fevers are also common before a lupus flare or oncoming illness.
There is no cure for lupus, but different types of medications are available to treat symptoms and manage the illness. Some medications can help treat swelling and pain. Others help prevent the immune system from attacking tissues in the body.
For mild pain and fevers, your physician may suggest over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone can help reduce pain and calm the immune system. They may be prescribed in either low or high doses, depending on the severity of the illness.
Antimalarial drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine phosphate may also be prescribed. In addition to treating malaria, they help treat joint pain, fatigue, and lung inflammation with lupus.
There are also less common causes of the combination of fever and headache. Some of them are rare, and some may cause a headache or fever, but do not usually cause that combination.
Your healthcare provider might consider these causes if your symptoms are unusual or if the initial testing and treatments for more common causes don’t provide answers or relief.
Conditions may include:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you have a fever and headache, you may need to get medical care to determine the cause. Call your doctor to let them know your symptoms.
Go to the doctor right away if you experience any of the following:
Seek immediate medical care if you have fever and headache in addition to these symptoms:
You should also go to the emergency room for extremely painful headaches that occur suddenly. These are calledthunderclap headachesbecause they can appear suddenly like a crash of thunder.
Some thunderclap headaches can occur because of a problem with blood vessels in the brain. This can include a stroke or a brain aneurysm.
Summary
Having both a fever and headache can be signs of an infectious or non-infectious condition. Some illnesses may be mild, such as the common cold. Others can be serious, or even life-threatening, such as meningitis or a brain abscess.
Call your doctor if you have any questions about what could be causing your headache and fever. Let them know if you have new or concerning symptoms, or if they’re persistent or getting worse. Seek emergency care for any severe symptoms.
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Types and Treatment of Bacterial Infection
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Al-Qahtani S, Shati A, Alqahtani Y, Saeed Ali A.Etiology, clinical phenotypes, epidemiological correlates, laboratory biomarkers and diagnostic challenges of pediatric viral meningitis: Descriptive review.Front Pediatr. 2022 Jun;10(1):1-15. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923125Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.Kohil A, Jemmieh S, Smatti MK, Yassine HM.Viral meningitis: an overview.Arch Virol. 2021;166(2):335-345. doi:10.1007/s00705-020-04891Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral meningitis.Hansen MA, Samannodi MS, Hasbun R.Predicting inpatient mortality among encephalitis patients: a novel admission risk score.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020;7(11):ofaa471. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa471Mondal R, Ganguly U, Deb S, et al.Meningoencephalitis associated with COVID-19: a systematic review.J Neurovirol. 2021;27(1):12-25. doi:10.1007/s13365-020-00923-3National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu symptoms & complications.Patel K, Clifford DB.Bacterial brain abscess.Neurohospitalist.2014;4(4):196-204. doi:10.1177/1941874414540684Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cerebral abscess.Mount Sinai.Brain abscess.Penn Medicine.Sinus infection (sinusitis).Orlandi RR, Kingdom TT, Smith TL, et al.International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: rhinosinusitis 2021.Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2021;11(3):213-739. doi:10.1002/alr.22741CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).Heat stress — heat related illness.Trabelsi M, Romand X, Gilson M, et al.Rheumatoid meningitis a rare extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis: report of 6 cases and literature review.J Clin Med. 2020;9(6):1625. doi:10.3390/jcm9061625Lee SY, Jang DI, Noh C, Ko YK.Successful treatment of occipital radiating headache using pulsed radiofrequency therapy.J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2015;58(1):89. doi:10.3340/jkns.2015.58.1.89Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis treatment.HIV.gov.Symptoms of HIV.de Oliveira Andrade S, Julio P, de Paula Ferreira D, Appenzeller S.Predicting lupus flares: epidemiological and disease related factors.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2021 Feb;17(2):143-153. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2020.1865156Elolemy G, Al Rashidi A, Youssry D, Elziat H, Baraka E.Headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: characteristics, brain MRI patterns, and impact.Egypt Rheumatol Rehabil. 2021;48(1):31. doi:10.1186/s43166-021-00078-xLupus Foundation of America.Lupus symptoms.Lupus Foundation of America.Treating lupus: a guide.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Al-Qahtani S, Shati A, Alqahtani Y, Saeed Ali A.Etiology, clinical phenotypes, epidemiological correlates, laboratory biomarkers and diagnostic challenges of pediatric viral meningitis: Descriptive review.Front Pediatr. 2022 Jun;10(1):1-15. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923125Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bacterial meningitis.Kohil A, Jemmieh S, Smatti MK, Yassine HM.Viral meningitis: an overview.Arch Virol. 2021;166(2):335-345. doi:10.1007/s00705-020-04891Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral meningitis.Hansen MA, Samannodi MS, Hasbun R.Predicting inpatient mortality among encephalitis patients: a novel admission risk score.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020;7(11):ofaa471. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa471Mondal R, Ganguly U, Deb S, et al.Meningoencephalitis associated with COVID-19: a systematic review.J Neurovirol. 2021;27(1):12-25. doi:10.1007/s13365-020-00923-3National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu symptoms & complications.Patel K, Clifford DB.Bacterial brain abscess.Neurohospitalist.2014;4(4):196-204. doi:10.1177/1941874414540684Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cerebral abscess.Mount Sinai.Brain abscess.Penn Medicine.Sinus infection (sinusitis).Orlandi RR, Kingdom TT, Smith TL, et al.International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: rhinosinusitis 2021.Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2021;11(3):213-739. doi:10.1002/alr.22741CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).Heat stress — heat related illness.Trabelsi M, Romand X, Gilson M, et al.Rheumatoid meningitis a rare extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis: report of 6 cases and literature review.J Clin Med. 2020;9(6):1625. doi:10.3390/jcm9061625Lee SY, Jang DI, Noh C, Ko YK.Successful treatment of occipital radiating headache using pulsed radiofrequency therapy.J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2015;58(1):89. doi:10.3340/jkns.2015.58.1.89Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis treatment.HIV.gov.Symptoms of HIV.de Oliveira Andrade S, Julio P, de Paula Ferreira D, Appenzeller S.Predicting lupus flares: epidemiological and disease related factors.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2021 Feb;17(2):143-153. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2020.1865156Elolemy G, Al Rashidi A, Youssry D, Elziat H, Baraka E.Headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: characteristics, brain MRI patterns, and impact.Egypt Rheumatol Rehabil. 2021;48(1):31. doi:10.1186/s43166-021-00078-xLupus Foundation of America.Lupus symptoms.Lupus Foundation of America.Treating lupus: a guide.
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CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).Heat stress — heat related illness.
Trabelsi M, Romand X, Gilson M, et al.Rheumatoid meningitis a rare extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis: report of 6 cases and literature review.J Clin Med. 2020;9(6):1625. doi:10.3390/jcm9061625
Lee SY, Jang DI, Noh C, Ko YK.Successful treatment of occipital radiating headache using pulsed radiofrequency therapy.J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2015;58(1):89. doi:10.3340/jkns.2015.58.1.89
Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis treatment.
HIV.gov.Symptoms of HIV.
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Elolemy G, Al Rashidi A, Youssry D, Elziat H, Baraka E.Headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: characteristics, brain MRI patterns, and impact.Egypt Rheumatol Rehabil. 2021;48(1):31. doi:10.1186/s43166-021-00078-x
Lupus Foundation of America.Lupus symptoms.
Lupus Foundation of America.Treating lupus: a guide.
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