The Origins of a Fever: Study Pinpoints Where Inflammation is Produced

Ever wonder what causes the body's temperatures to rise when we have a fever?

Recent findings published in the Journal of Neuroscience show that this common occurrence is in response to inflammation that's triggered through the prostaglandin--a group of hormone-like lipid compunds that are derived from fatty acids. In this study, researchers were able to discover precisely where this substance was produced.

For the study, researchers at Linköping University found that when an aspirin is consumed, all production of prostaglandins in the body are suppressed along with eased pain symptoms. Though it's certainly not the most pleasant feelings, researchers noted that the occurrence of a fever can be warning of another medical issue.

"Perhaps you want to inhibit loss of appetite but retain fever. In the case of serious infections, fever can be a good thing," said lead study author David Engblom and senior lecturer at the university, in a news release.

For the study, they tested mice that lack the enzymes COX-2 and mPGES-1 in the brain's blood vessels. When they were infected with bacterial toxins, the fever did not appear and other signs of inflammation were not affected, according to findings.

"This shows that those prostaglandins which cause fever are formed in the blood-brain barrier - nowhere else. Now it will be interesting to investigate the other inflammation symptoms. Knowledge of this type can be useful when developing drugs that ease certain symptoms, but not all of them," concluded Engblom.

Researchers hope that along with this discovery and future findings, they can develop more advanced medications to treat certain health issues that involved higher body temperatures.