The consequences of fever.

Although recent studies in lizards show that induced fever reduces mortality during an experimental infection, the question of the biological value of a fever response remains an open one. Although both the fever response and muscular work during a shaking chill have a measurable metabolic cost, body temperatures cannot be related directly to heat production. Heat loss must also be considered, for heat losses vary according to body size, amounts of subcutaneous fat, and the insulating effects of clothing or blankets and environmental temperatures. The nutritional costs of fever vary in patients of differing age and size, differing nutritional status, and differing environmental and cultural conditions. More information about these factors is required to help assess the metabolic needs of individual patients during a febrile illness.