Thermoregulation and the pathogenesis of fever

Abstract

Infections, trauma, inflammatory processes, and some malignant diseases induce a constellation of host responses that are collectively referred to as the "acute-phase response." Elevation of core temperature is certainly part of the acute-phase response, and cytokines that raise core temperature in pathologic states are some of the same cytokines that account for other manifestations of the acute-phase response. This article examines fever as a part of the acute-phase reaction and the role of cytokines in thermoregulation.