How to deal with influenza: Fever may be used as treatment

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7476.1238-a

BMJ 2004;329:1238 (20 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7476.1238-a

Letter

How to deal with influenza

Fever may be used as treatment

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Because there is no specific treatment for influenza,Jefferson's editorial and the accompanying articles concentrateon vaccination and chemoprophylaxis.¹ However, I plead for recognitionthat fever may be used as a non-specific treatment of flu. Thefever is not just an unpleasant symptom of flu but a crucialpart of the body's defence mechanism that should be encouraged.

Infectious organisms are adapted to the temperature of the partof the body they colonise, so it follows that they will growbest at that temperature. Rhinoviruses, which infect the coolerupper airway and sinuses, grow best between 33° C and 35°C, so inhaling air at about 45° C for 20 minutes will muchimprove the symptoms of a common cold.² Conversely, treatingthe common cold with aspirin causes an increase in the rateof production of the virus.³

By contrast, influenza viruses, which infect the whole body,grow . . . [Full text of this article]

Alan W Fowler, retired consultant orthopaedic surgeon

Bridgend CF31 1QJ alan@awfowler.fsnet.co.uk

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