Let’s Know about Temperature Curves in medical conditions. The temperature curves give a clear picture of the nature of fever which often gives significant diagnostic and prognostic value in different diseases and conditions.
What is Temperature Curve?
Temperature curves are the graphic representation of the temperature fluctuations during the measurement of body temperature. Different types of temperature curves are there in different diseases and conditions.
When a physician is unable to identify the cause of fever in a patient, it is termed as an FUO (Fever of Unknown Origin).
Body Temperature and Fever
Different types of body temperature should be known. At first, the Normal temperature should be known. when the temperature is more than normal then we called it fever. Fever is Low-grade fever, Moderate grade, high-grade fever.
Body temperature |
°C |
°F |
| Normal | 37–38 | 98.6–100.4 |
| Low-grade fever | 38.1–39 | 100.5–102.2 |
| Moderate grade fever | 39.1–40 | 102.2–104.0 |
| High-grade fever | 40.1–41.1 | 104.1–106.0 |
| Hyperpyrexia | >41.1 | >106.0 |
Temperature Curves Pattern in Fever
Temperature curves contain 3 periods of fever generally as :
- Initial Period ( Stadium Increments)
- Stage Hight of Fever (fastigium or acme)
- Stage of Temperature Reductions
1.Initial Period ( Stadium Increments)
The initial period is the stage of rising temperature also called stadium increments. Depending on the nature of the disease, this period may be very short and measured in a certain period of hours.
This usually accompanied by fever in malaria, lobar pneumonia. Also, it can be stretch out on a long term of up to several days too like in typhoid fever
2. Stage Hight of Fever (fastigium or acme)
This is the fastigium or acme stage. In this, the fever lasts from serval hours to several days
3. Temperature reduction stage
In this stage, there will be an overall reduction in temperature. Temperature reduction is of type . one is a rapid decrease or drops in temperature while the next is there is a slow decrease in the temperature.
Rapid decrease or a rapid drop in temperature is called a “crisis”. It usually happens in some disease conditions like malaria, lobar pneumonia, typhus; while a gradual decrease called lysis. Lysis type of decrease in temperature is seen in typhoid and other conditions ( See Fig. 9)
Know about Temperature Curves in Fever
1. Febris continua
2. Febris remittents
3. Febris intermittent
- every 4th day called as febris quartana,
- every 3rd day called as febris tertiana
- or in a daily basis called as febris quotidiana
4. Febris hectica
5. Febris inverse
6. Febris recurrens
7. Febris undulans
8. Febris irregularis