Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesChills Without FeverOther SymptomsTreatmentWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Chills Without Fever
Other Symptoms
Treatment
When to See a Provider
Having a fever with chills is usually the body’s way of fighting off infection. When yourimmune systemdetects an infection, it sends chemical signals to the brain to turn up your core body temperature. In response to the reset “thermostat,” your body will start to shiver to generate heat.
Chillsand body aches can also occur without fever, such as with infections likeCOVID-19orbacterial meningitis. This happens when a virus or bacteria acts on the part of the brain that regulates body temperature, called thehypothalamus. To help ease fever and chills, try self-care and home remedies like drinking lots of clear fluids, getting rest, and taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications.
Verywell / Hugo Lin
What Causes a Fever With Chills?
Some of the causes of a fever and chills include:
What Causes a Fever?
Pyrogens trigger the release of inflammatory compounds calledprostaglandinsfrom tissue at the site of the infection. Prostaglandins, in turn, “tell” the hypothalamus (an almond-sized structure situated at the base of the brain) to turn up the heat.
Some medications can also cause a fever in certain people. This happens when someone has a drug-related hypersensitivity to the drug, which leads to an immune system response.
An increased temperature isn’t officially considered a fever until it is higher than 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit (F).
What Is a Normal Body Temperature?A normal body temperature for a healthy adult and older child is around 98.6 degrees F. For younger children and babies, a normal body temperature is between 96.8 and 100.3 degrees F using a forehead,rectal, or ear thermometer.Bacteria and viruses that cause infections can multiply at your normal body temperature.
What Is a Normal Body Temperature?
A normal body temperature for a healthy adult and older child is around 98.6 degrees F. For younger children and babies, a normal body temperature is between 96.8 and 100.3 degrees F using a forehead,rectal, or ear thermometer.Bacteria and viruses that cause infections can multiply at your normal body temperature.
What Causes Chills?
When you have an infection, your brain sets a new higher core temperature for your body. Because your current body temperature is colder than the new target, you’ll feel cold and start to shiver until the new set point is reached.
Certain infections can cause body aches and chills without fever. These include COVID-19 and certain bacterial infections.
COVID-19
Though fever is a common symptom of COVID-19, some people report chills without fever. The cause is not clear, but the phenomenon has been noted in people with certain complications of COVID-19. This includes having long COVID andgastrointestinal symptoms of COVID.It also includes developing a nervous system complication calledGuillain-Barrésyndrome (GBS).
In all three cases, the immune response to the virus is not as severe. Long COVID is associated with prolonged, low-level inflammation, while GI symptoms generally indicate milder disease.For its part, GBS is an immune reaction to the virus that mainly affects nerves.
In such cases, the infection may directly or indirectly affect the hypothalamus and temporarily lower the core body temperature.
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial infections that can cause chills without fever include:
Non-Infectious Causes of ChillsChills without fever can be due to non-infectious causes, including:Anemia(low red blood cells)Hypoglycemia(low blood sugar)Hypothyroidism(low thyroid function)Leukemia(a type of blood cancer)Malnutrition(lack of adequate nutrition)Psychological causes(including anxiety andpost-traumatic stress disorder)
Non-Infectious Causes of Chills
Chills without fever can be due to non-infectious causes, including:Anemia(low red blood cells)Hypoglycemia(low blood sugar)Hypothyroidism(low thyroid function)Leukemia(a type of blood cancer)Malnutrition(lack of adequate nutrition)Psychological causes(including anxiety andpost-traumatic stress disorder)
Chills without fever can be due to non-infectious causes, including:
Symptoms That Occur With Fever and Chills
If you have a fever and chills from an infection, you may have other symptoms as well. The symptoms you have will depend on the cause of the infection and which part of the body is affected.
Some general symptoms you might have with a fever and chills include:
How to Treat a Fever and Chills
If you have a fever and chills, you might want to put on more clothes or cover up with blankets to get warm. However, this will increase your body temperature, cause more discomfort, and even lead to dehydration.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Fever and chills are not dangerous on their own—they are your body’s natural way of fighting off an illness. However, fever and chills can also be a sign of a more serious condition, such asmeningitis.
Call your provider or seek medical attention right away if you have a fever and chills with these symptoms:
You should also call your provider or seek medical attention for somefevers in babies and children, including:
Summary
Fever and chills are your body’s normal response to an infection. The shaking or shivering of “the chills” can be uncomfortable but usually isn’t serious. You can often treat fever and chills at home with rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medications to help bring a fever down.
However, if your fever is high (more than 104 degrees F), the chills are uncontrollable, you have other concerning symptoms like a stiff neck, or you don’t start getting better in a few days, seek medical care.
A Word From Verywell
—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
18 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.UPMC Health Beat.Why do I have the chills?Evans SS, Repasky EA, Fisher DT.Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat.Nat Rev Immunol. 2015;15(6):335-349. doi:10.1038/nri3843El-Radhi AS.Pathogenesis of fever.Clin Manual Fever Children.2019 Jan 2:53–68. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92336-9_3Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Fever—The rules change after a cancer diagnosis.Someko H, Kataoka Y, Obara T.Drug fever: a narrative review.Ann Clin Epidemiol. 2023;5(4):95-106. Published 2023 May 18. doi:10.37737/ace.23013Geneva II, Cuzzo B, Fazili T, Javaid W.Normal body temperature: a systematic review.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(4):ofz032. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz032MedlinePlus.Fever.MedlinePlus.Chills.Samper-Pardo M, Leon-Herrera S, Olivan-Blazquez B, Gascon-Santos S, Sanchez-Recio R.Clinical characterization and factors associated with quality of life in Long COVID patients: secondary data analysis from a randomized clinical trial.PLoS One.2023;18(5):e0278728. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278728Hassani AH, Beheshti, A, Almasi F, Maghaddam PK, Azizi M, Shahrokh S.Unusual gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: two case reports.Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2020 Fall;13(4):410-4.Stoian A, Balasa R, Grigorescu BL.Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Covid-19: a close relationship or just a coincidence?Exp Ther Med.2021 Sep;22(3):916. doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10348Yang L, Tu, L.Implications of gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.2020 May 12:5(7):629-630. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30132-1Ramakrishnan A, Zreloff J, Moore MA, et al.Prolonged symptoms after Covid-19 infection in outpatients.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(3):ofab060. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab060National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Guillain-Barré syndrome fact sheet.Daanen H, Bose-O’Reilly S, Brearley M, et al.COVID-19 and thermoregulation-related problems: practical recommendations.Temperature (Austin).2021;8(1):1–11. doi:10.1080/23328940.2020.1790971Block N, Naucler P, Wagner P, Morfeldt E, Henriques‐Normark B.Bacterial meningitis: aetiology, risk factors, disease trends and severe sequelae during 50 years in Sweden.J Intern Med. 2022;292(2):350-64. doi:10.1111/joim.13488Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tickborne diseases of the United States: Lyme disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Malaria - disease.
18 Sources
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.UPMC Health Beat.Why do I have the chills?Evans SS, Repasky EA, Fisher DT.Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat.Nat Rev Immunol. 2015;15(6):335-349. doi:10.1038/nri3843El-Radhi AS.Pathogenesis of fever.Clin Manual Fever Children.2019 Jan 2:53–68. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92336-9_3Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Fever—The rules change after a cancer diagnosis.Someko H, Kataoka Y, Obara T.Drug fever: a narrative review.Ann Clin Epidemiol. 2023;5(4):95-106. Published 2023 May 18. doi:10.37737/ace.23013Geneva II, Cuzzo B, Fazili T, Javaid W.Normal body temperature: a systematic review.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(4):ofz032. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz032MedlinePlus.Fever.MedlinePlus.Chills.Samper-Pardo M, Leon-Herrera S, Olivan-Blazquez B, Gascon-Santos S, Sanchez-Recio R.Clinical characterization and factors associated with quality of life in Long COVID patients: secondary data analysis from a randomized clinical trial.PLoS One.2023;18(5):e0278728. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278728Hassani AH, Beheshti, A, Almasi F, Maghaddam PK, Azizi M, Shahrokh S.Unusual gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: two case reports.Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2020 Fall;13(4):410-4.Stoian A, Balasa R, Grigorescu BL.Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Covid-19: a close relationship or just a coincidence?Exp Ther Med.2021 Sep;22(3):916. doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10348Yang L, Tu, L.Implications of gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.2020 May 12:5(7):629-630. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30132-1Ramakrishnan A, Zreloff J, Moore MA, et al.Prolonged symptoms after Covid-19 infection in outpatients.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(3):ofab060. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab060National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Guillain-Barré syndrome fact sheet.Daanen H, Bose-O’Reilly S, Brearley M, et al.COVID-19 and thermoregulation-related problems: practical recommendations.Temperature (Austin).2021;8(1):1–11. doi:10.1080/23328940.2020.1790971Block N, Naucler P, Wagner P, Morfeldt E, Henriques‐Normark B.Bacterial meningitis: aetiology, risk factors, disease trends and severe sequelae during 50 years in Sweden.J Intern Med. 2022;292(2):350-64. doi:10.1111/joim.13488Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tickborne diseases of the United States: Lyme disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Malaria - disease.
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.
UPMC Health Beat.Why do I have the chills?Evans SS, Repasky EA, Fisher DT.Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat.Nat Rev Immunol. 2015;15(6):335-349. doi:10.1038/nri3843El-Radhi AS.Pathogenesis of fever.Clin Manual Fever Children.2019 Jan 2:53–68. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92336-9_3Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Fever—The rules change after a cancer diagnosis.Someko H, Kataoka Y, Obara T.Drug fever: a narrative review.Ann Clin Epidemiol. 2023;5(4):95-106. Published 2023 May 18. doi:10.37737/ace.23013Geneva II, Cuzzo B, Fazili T, Javaid W.Normal body temperature: a systematic review.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(4):ofz032. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz032MedlinePlus.Fever.MedlinePlus.Chills.Samper-Pardo M, Leon-Herrera S, Olivan-Blazquez B, Gascon-Santos S, Sanchez-Recio R.Clinical characterization and factors associated with quality of life in Long COVID patients: secondary data analysis from a randomized clinical trial.PLoS One.2023;18(5):e0278728. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278728Hassani AH, Beheshti, A, Almasi F, Maghaddam PK, Azizi M, Shahrokh S.Unusual gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: two case reports.Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2020 Fall;13(4):410-4.Stoian A, Balasa R, Grigorescu BL.Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Covid-19: a close relationship or just a coincidence?Exp Ther Med.2021 Sep;22(3):916. doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10348Yang L, Tu, L.Implications of gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.2020 May 12:5(7):629-630. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30132-1Ramakrishnan A, Zreloff J, Moore MA, et al.Prolonged symptoms after Covid-19 infection in outpatients.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(3):ofab060. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab060National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Guillain-Barré syndrome fact sheet.Daanen H, Bose-O’Reilly S, Brearley M, et al.COVID-19 and thermoregulation-related problems: practical recommendations.Temperature (Austin).2021;8(1):1–11. doi:10.1080/23328940.2020.1790971Block N, Naucler P, Wagner P, Morfeldt E, Henriques‐Normark B.Bacterial meningitis: aetiology, risk factors, disease trends and severe sequelae during 50 years in Sweden.J Intern Med. 2022;292(2):350-64. doi:10.1111/joim.13488Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tickborne diseases of the United States: Lyme disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Malaria - disease.
UPMC Health Beat.Why do I have the chills?
Evans SS, Repasky EA, Fisher DT.Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat.Nat Rev Immunol. 2015;15(6):335-349. doi:10.1038/nri3843
El-Radhi AS.Pathogenesis of fever.Clin Manual Fever Children.2019 Jan 2:53–68. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92336-9_3
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Fever—The rules change after a cancer diagnosis.
Someko H, Kataoka Y, Obara T.Drug fever: a narrative review.Ann Clin Epidemiol. 2023;5(4):95-106. Published 2023 May 18. doi:10.37737/ace.23013
Geneva II, Cuzzo B, Fazili T, Javaid W.Normal body temperature: a systematic review.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(4):ofz032. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz032
MedlinePlus.Fever.
MedlinePlus.Chills.
Samper-Pardo M, Leon-Herrera S, Olivan-Blazquez B, Gascon-Santos S, Sanchez-Recio R.Clinical characterization and factors associated with quality of life in Long COVID patients: secondary data analysis from a randomized clinical trial.PLoS One.2023;18(5):e0278728. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278728
Hassani AH, Beheshti, A, Almasi F, Maghaddam PK, Azizi M, Shahrokh S.Unusual gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: two case reports.Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2020 Fall;13(4):410-4.
Stoian A, Balasa R, Grigorescu BL.Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Covid-19: a close relationship or just a coincidence?Exp Ther Med.2021 Sep;22(3):916. doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10348
Yang L, Tu, L.Implications of gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.2020 May 12:5(7):629-630. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30132-1
Ramakrishnan A, Zreloff J, Moore MA, et al.Prolonged symptoms after Covid-19 infection in outpatients.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(3):ofab060. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab060
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Guillain-Barré syndrome fact sheet.
Daanen H, Bose-O’Reilly S, Brearley M, et al.COVID-19 and thermoregulation-related problems: practical recommendations.Temperature (Austin).2021;8(1):1–11. doi:10.1080/23328940.2020.1790971
Block N, Naucler P, Wagner P, Morfeldt E, Henriques‐Normark B.Bacterial meningitis: aetiology, risk factors, disease trends and severe sequelae during 50 years in Sweden.J Intern Med. 2022;292(2):350-64. doi:10.1111/joim.13488
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tickborne diseases of the United States: Lyme disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Malaria - disease.
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