Freezes and shakes without fever. What causes sudden, severe chills without fever and what to do? Physiological causes of severe night chills

Oh chill, according to standard medical definition is a condition during which one feels cold and crawling all over the body.

This is a common phenomenon and, as a rule, it is associated with colds. But this is not always axiomatic.

Chills are a normal reaction of the body to many pathological conditions, as well as a physiological condition. You need to understand each specific situation separately.

The causes of chills in women and the stronger sex in some cases vary. What do you need to know about such manifestations of pathogenic processes?

The first group of factors applies to all patients without exception, of any gender and age. The reasons listed below do not have demographic or age-gender characteristics in general. We need to look at them in more detail.

Endocrine disorders

As a rule, we are talking about hyperthyroidism. This is a condition in which there is a disruption in the adequate production of thyroid hormones (endocrine organ substances). We are talking about the hormones of the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland itself: T3, T4, TSH.

The culprit of hyperthyroidism is the latter. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and encourages the organ to work harder. Hence the proliferation anatomical structure and an increase in the mass of thyrocyte cells, a so-called goiter appears, diffuse (when the entire gland grows) or nodular type (only certain areas of the organ increase).

Hyperthyroidism is almost always accompanied by chills. If there is severe chills but no temperature, the cause should be sought in the endocrine sphere.

As a rule, everything is limited to the sensation of goosebumps running through the body, as with a cold. This process is observed due to stenosis of peripheral vessels.

Literally, the body begins to work for wear and tear, which affects the quality and life expectancy of the patient.

In addition, symptoms include: pain in the thyroid gland, breathing problems, speaking problems, changes in the relief of the neck, a sharp decrease in body weight and some other factors.

The treatment is specific. It consists of prescribing a specialized diet low in iodine. It is also possible to perform resection of overgrown areas thyroid gland(with diffuse goiter this is not feasible). It is important not to confuse goiter and cancer, therefore in all cases a diagnostic puncture (puncture) of the thyroid gland is indicated.

Diabetes

It develops as a consequence of a malfunction of the pancreas, which is unable to produce full-fledged insulin. In rare cases, the cause of diabetes is the patient's excess body weight (lipid metabolism disorder).

The disease provokes metabolic disorders at the local and generalized levels, and spasms of large muscles of various types.

The insidiousness of the disease lies in its long asymptomatic course, or with minimal signs to which the patient does not pay attention.

The first signs of diabetes: This night chills with a feeling of extreme thirst and hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), coldness and tingling of the fingers, polyuria (production of excess urine per day), changes in the skin: even small scratches take 3-4 times longer to heal.

At the advanced stage, there is a sharp decrease or increase in weight, pain behind the sternum and in the epigastric region (caused by spasm of muscle tissue).

Specific therapy. It consists of periodically taking insulin and following a low-sugar diet. This is an extremely complex and multifaceted disease, primary diabetes(types 1 and 2) are incurable.

Anemia

The causes of constant chills without fever also include various forms of the anemic process. Anemia is any process that results in a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the bloodstream to less than 110 units per liter.

In men, blood hemoglobin levels are slightly higher than in the fairer sex.

There are several types of pathological process: iron deficiency anemia, a malignant type (the so-called megaloblastic anemia) and some others. In all cases, a combination of two syndromes is observed: sideropenic and anemic.

The causes of the disease are multiple. They are usually associated with regular bleeding (and here we should remember the constant cyclical changes in the body of women), as well as insufficient intake of certain elements into the body through food.

Of course, this does not limit the entire list of reasons. But these are the factors that occur most often. The influence of genetic and autoimmune causes is also possible.

The symptoms are very characteristic. There is hair loss, decreased skin elasticity, fragility bone tissue, perversion of taste, smell, fast fatiguability, chills and sweating, bone pain, aches throughout the body and many other manifestations that an experienced doctor will immediately understand.

Treatment consists of eliminating the root cause of the condition. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common, so therapy comes down to normalizing the diet and taking oral iron supplements.

Acute respiratory viral infections

Oddly enough, even they can occur without an increase in body temperature. Development infectious diseases is associated with the penetration of various viruses, bacteria, and fungi into the patient’s body.

Pathological processes are most often caused by representatives of the pyogenic flora (staphylococci with streptococci), herpes viruses from types one to six, rotaviruses, influenza viruses, adenoviruses and candida fungi.

It is believed that diseases always occur with an increase in temperature, but this is not so.

There is a direct correlation between the intensity of the body's immune response and the severity of the chills. As a rule, weak body resistance is accompanied by severe chills and vice versa. What this is connected with is not known for certain. However, there is a connection.

The symptoms of ARVI are always identical. As a rule, there is a strong headache, dizziness, comes acute period diseases.

It is also accompanied by a sore throat, cough, runny nose, aches throughout the body, especially in the limbs, and other manifestations of a typical cold. Hyperthermia may or may not be present. Differential diagnosis is required.

Treatment is also typical. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antiviral or antifungal drugs with a broad spectrum of action are prescribed.

Also antiseptic solutions and some other drugs depending on the situation. It is important to stop the disease in the bud so that there are no complications.

Sudden changes in blood pressure

Usually in patients with hypertension. The pathology appears to be a persistent increase in blood pressure to levels of 140/90 or more.

Chills and muscle tremors occur when sudden change pressure from significant figures to below or even normal levels. The cause of this condition is usually the use of a powerful antihypertensive drug. These are: “Anaprilin”, “Enalapril”, “Capoten” and others.

It is important to prescribe them as part of complex therapy and do not take a large dosage once. The vessels may fail, and a hemorrhagic stroke will occur.

Treatment is appropriate. Etiological (aimed at eliminating the root cause, rather than relieving symptoms) with the use of several groups of broad-spectrum antihypertensive drugs.

Psycho-emotional overload

Sudden chills develop as a result of the release of specific hormones of the adrenal cortex (cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine), as well as catecholamines, into the blood.

There is a sharp and significant narrowing of the peripheral blood vessels, and the blood supply to the central organs and systems, on the contrary, increases. Blood pressure rises, which also affects the likelihood of developing chills.

In such situations, we are talking about a purely psychosomatic cause that cannot be treated with classical drugs.

Hypothermia of the body

A kind of “classic of the genre”. There is not only chills, but also trembling in all muscles, which is associated with the need to raise body temperature. it's the same dangerous condition, which is fraught with death.

Tuberculosis

It is an infectious-inflammatory and at the same time degenerative disease of the pulmonary structures. The parenchyma of the hollow organ is destroyed and rough scars form. The tissues literally disintegrate and melt.

The causative agent of the disease is always the same: it is the microbacterium tuberculosis, also called Koch's bacillus. This microorganism is capable of penetrating other organs and systems, therefore, as a rule, the matter is not limited to the lungs.

The disease can cause severe constant chills, but, paradoxically, an increase in body temperature is uncharacteristic of the tuberculosis process.

Individual episodes of hyperthermia are possible, but they occur relatively rarely. Chills in this case, on the contrary, are a frequent companion of the pathological process.

It is provoked by a violation of normal thermoregulation as a result of the course of the disease. The pathology is accompanied by a host of symptoms, in addition to chills.

The patient suddenly loses weight, there is shortness of breath, suffocation, persistent cough without visible reasons, chest pain, heart rhythm disturbances.

The treatment is always the same. It is carried out in a hospital setting. Loading doses of fluoroquinolones and steroid-derived anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed. Vitamins and antihistamines are also used.

Chills without fever: causes in women

In men, the causes of chills with no temperature are identical to the factors for the development of the problem in the fairer sex, but in women there are two more separate factors that are quite significant.

Premenstrual syndrome

Aka PMS. As practice shows, this is a complex of psychophysiological manifestations that accompany a woman until the start of menstruation itself.

In addition to chills, irritability, tearfulness, pain in the lower abdomen, disturbances of appetite and mood, general mental weakness and drowsiness are observed.

This is a normal physiological phenomenon. There is no need to correct it in any way, except in particularly severe cases.

Menopause or menopause

Also postmenopausal. But it is premenopause (an acute process) that women experience especially hard. In addition to chills, a number of characteristic manifestations are observed: blood pressure disorders, pain in the lower abdomen, mental problems and other phenomena.

Menopause itself is a normal process of attenuation of the ovaries and, accordingly, fertility. Correction of the condition is carried out by a gynecologist.

Anemia

Also a common cause of chills in women is anemia, which often becomes a consequence of menorrhagia (excessively active menstrual bleeding) and opsomenorrhea (prolonged menstrual cycle, more than usual) in patients of fertile age.

Diagnostic measures

Identification of pathological processes accompanied by chills and a feeling of goose bumps in general is carried out by specialists of various specialties.

We can talk about a neurologist, psychotherapist, otolaryngologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, gynecologist and other doctors.

Regardless of specialty, initial appointment The doctor interviews the patient for characteristic complaints. It is also important to obtain a life history to identify the possible underlying cause of the condition.

• General blood and urine analysis.
• Throat swab.
• A smear from the genital tract.

Chills occur when there is a rapid and significant decrease in body temperature due to hypothermia. This common symptom febrile conditions: influenza, septicemia, serious injury, some forms of diarrhea, heavy bleeding etc. If the chills are very severe and last more than half an hour, this may indicate malaria, pneumonia, scarlet fever, smallpox and other diseases.

Causes of chills

It is incorrect to correlate the appearance of chills only with an increase in body temperature; it can appear without it, so it is important to pay attention to the appearance of such a symptom. Let's look at the reasons that can lead to its appearance; there are not as few of them as it might seem at first glance.

Hypothermia

The most harmless cause of chills can be called hypothermia, but only if it is not severe. If you notice blue lips and fingers, notice lethargy and a drop in body temperature, then this is much more serious. In this case, all possible measures should be taken to warm up, such as a warm bath and tea, and in case of loss of consciousness the person needs medical attention.

Infectious diseases

Chills are often accompanied by infectious diseases, and weakness, headache, etc. may be present. As a rule, these symptoms are followed by fever and additional symptoms.

Hypertension

Chills with hypertension: as a rule, they appear at the same time, most often in the evening. In this case, medical help is also necessary, since hypertension can have serious consequences.

Emotional excitement

Sometimes chills are accompanied by emotional excitement, excessive worry and stress. At the same time, a person feels icy cold or hot, he has a desire to move, or, conversely, he falls into a stupor.

If these conditions do not last long, it may help breathing exercises, sedatives. If the stress persists, you should consult a psychologist to identify the cause of its occurrence and eliminate it.

Malaria

If chills are accompanied by severe headache, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, then these symptoms may accompany malaria.

This disease is considered very serious and life-threatening, therefore, in this case, it is better not to think about self-medication, especially if the person has recently returned from a trip to some exotic country. Urgently call an ambulance and get ready to be sent to the infectious diseases department.

Climax

When chills are accompanied by hot flashes, increased sweating, menstrual irregularities, emotional changes, then we are most likely talking about climacteric syndrome. Consult a gynecologist-endocrinologist who will recommend the correct treatment.

Endocrine diseases

Similar conditions can be observed in the presence of other hormonal disorders, for example, hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus. In this case, they may be accompanied by loss of body weight while maintaining normal or even increased appetite, rapid heartbeat, and nervousness. If we are talking specifically about endocrine diseases, then serious treatment is necessary and strictly under the supervision of a doctor.

Chills may be a symptom of the following diseases:

Chills without fever

Chills can occur without an increase in body temperature. The reasons for this condition may be:

To understand the causes of chills, you need to consult a general practitioner or general practitioner. He will conduct a full physical examination and prescribe the necessary laboratory and instrumental examinations.

Treatment of chills

It is necessary to reduce body temperature with antipyretics:

• paracetamol;
• ibuprofen;
• aspirin for adults.

You can lie under a warm blanket and drink a lot of warm tea (it helps in 15 minutes if the condition is due to hypothermia). Lie in a warm bath, then thoroughly rub your body with a terry towel.

If the cause of chills is nervous overexcitation, you need to drink a sedative, for example, tincture of motherwort or valerian.

When to call a doctor

Which doctors should you contact if you have chills?

Questions and answers on the topic “Chills”

Question:Why do headaches, chills, and symptoms of acute respiratory infections appear after eating beef?

Answer: Most likely you are intolerant to this product; it is recommended to exclude it from your food and undergo an allergy test for food allergies.

Question:Over the past two months, the temperature has been 37-37.2, which manifests itself in the evening (in the morning 35.8-36.2), accompanied by drowsiness, chills, fever, fatigue, up to hypnagogic-like hallucinations and memory loss, cough with mucus. , pain and muscle cramps.

Answer: Such symptoms may occur due to dysfunction of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. I recommend that you do an ultrasound of the thyroid gland, do a blood test for hormones: TSH, T3, T4, AT TPO, parathyroid hormone. After receiving the results, I recommend that you personally visit an endocrinologist.

Question: Heavy sweating, wet cough, chills, no fever and this is already the second week. I donated blood for HIV, I don’t have the patience to wait. Such thoughts come into my head. Thanks in advance.

Answer: Moist cough, chills, sweating may indicate various diseases of the respiratory system, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. We recommend that you consult a general practitioner.

Question:Hello. I am 33 years old. Very often (for several years) I get chills very often, my temperature is 36.6, my blood pressure is normal, and I suddenly feel tired. I cover myself with a blanket, a rug, but I can’t get warm. Over the course of a month, this can continue for several weeks.

Answer: The symptoms you describe can be observed in vegetative dystonia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Be sure to consult a doctor to undergo an examination that will help rule out other causes of chills.

Question:Today I felt very cold and felt dizzy. The temperature remained 37.3 all day. I slept a little, it became easier, but now this condition is returning. What could it be?

Answer: These are symptoms of an incipient cold. Try to sit in a warm place for a couple of days, drink more warm liquids (tea with jam and lemon), if you feel too cold, take an antipyretic. Monitor your temperature and general condition - if you become significantly worse or rise heat call an ambulance.

Question:Abdominal pain, diarrhea, high blood pressure, chills, weakness, nausea - what could it be?

Answer: The symptoms you describe may be due to an intestinal infection or food poisoning.

Question:2 years 8 months old girl, the temperature was 38.6 last night, they brought it down with Nurofen, this afternoon it was again 38.6, they brought it down with Nurofen, in the evening too - they brought it down, it didn’t bring it down, they gave Eferalgan, it brought it down, and now it’s 40 and chills. What to do?

Answer: You should show your child to a doctor who will find out the cause of the increase in body temperature and prescribe treatment.

Question:Hello. I have a question. My husband constantly has a temperature of 37-37.1. At the same time, he becomes very cold, his hands and feet are frozen, and at night he can sweat very much and at the same time get chills. My head hurts every day. A year ago they were diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, chronic. pancryotitis (the last time we were in the hospital, they didn’t even prescribe anything to relieve the inflammation of poncreatitis), enlarged pancreas. And recently they discovered a hiatal hernia (the doctor said that you can’t touch it. Could it be growing?). Periodically he drinks it, then of course he starts taking medicine, everything inside hurts. Now the doctor said the tests are normal for him, but he doesn’t know why the temperature is. Or maybe they don’t consider it necessary to treat, they say he will drink anyway. Why doesn’t the temperature go away, is this normal for him or is there something wrong?

Answer: In this case, it is recommended to exclude tuberculosis infection, as well as oncological pathology. It is recommended to consult with a phthisiopulmonologist and conduct fluorography of the lungs, as well as donate blood for tumor markers. Only after receiving all the examination results will the specialist make an accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, prescribe adequate treatment.

Chills without fever: main causes

Most often, chills without fever develop for the following reasons:

1. Severe hypothermia. At the same time, a person’s blood vessels narrow greatly and blood circulation slows down. This leads to metabolic disorders. In this state, chills and chills may occur. Eliminating it is simple - just drink a cup of hot tea and warm up.

2. Colds and acute respiratory viral infections. In such conditions, the temperature cannot always rise. Chills are a natural (response) reaction to the virus, which thus protects the person and signals illness.

3. Infectious lesions of the body. In addition to chills, a person may experience nausea, loss of strength and pallor. Before treatment, in this case it is necessary to identify the root cause of the disease.

4. Strong emotional overstrain or stress. In this case, the person’s body temperature will not increase, but he will literally feel “sick.” This is explained by the fact that the body will thus react to irritation in the form of stress, since the nervous system is directly connected to all other “mechanisms” in the body.

5. Allergic reaction. Most often, a person experiences chills in this state after consuming an allergen product. It could be honey, nuts, strawberries, etc.

Allergy symptoms usually include migraines, body rashes, difficulty breathing and weakness.

6. Vegetative-vascular dystonia. People suffering from this disease almost always have very cold feet and hands. It is difficult for them to warm up because their blood vessels are in poor tone.

To normalize the functioning of these vessels, you should begin to harden and strengthen your immunity.

7. Blood pressure disorders. Typically, chills develop with a sharp decrease or increase in blood pressure. Moreover, if a person has been diagnosed with hypertension, then he will feel this symptom regularly, because jumps in pressure will become quite frequent.

In this condition, it is very important to monitor blood pressure readings all the time, since if left untreated, hypertension can easily cause a stroke.

8. Endocrine disorders can also cause chills without fever. This is explained by the fact that when a person has diseases of the thyroid gland, the general thermoregulatory process is disrupted. That is, the gland stops producing the necessary hormone, which is directly involved in maintaining heat.

Most often, this condition is observed in people with diabetes. In this case, their blood circulation is greatly impaired. Gradually, the affected vessels become thinner and blood circulation is impaired. This leads to a sharp deterioration in thermoregulation.

To get rid of chills due to diabetes mellitus or other diseases of the thyroid gland, first of all, you need to treat its root cause (the disease that provoked the malaise).

9. Climax. During this period, women may also experience chills. It develops as a consequence of a lack of hormones and a general “restructuring” of the body. At the same time, the woman may also feel hot flashes.

The best treatment for this condition is hormone therapy. It must be prescribed by a specialist. These medications should not be taken without a doctor's prescription.

10. Menstruation. The fact is that some women during such a period are especially acutely aware of changes in the body. However, they may suffer not only from chills, but also from acute pain in the stomach, nausea, fatigue and headaches. All these symptoms, as a rule, are observed only in the first days of menstruation.

Night chills without fever: causes

Chills that appear at night have their own specifics. Usually it indicates the development of such conditions:

1. Diabetes mellitus.

2. Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). At the same time, chills are a common reaction of the body to cold due to the fact that a person will lie on cold and wet sheets at night.

3. Hemorrhoids, or rather its complications. In this case, the body will react with chills to insufficient treatment of rectal disease.

4. Depression and nervous tension. At the same time, even in a dream a person will be very worried. This can affect his health not only with chills, but also with migraines, neuroses and disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. For this reason, in this condition, it is advisable to immediately contact a neurologist.

Chills without fever: causes and treatment

Most effective methods Treatments for chills are:

1. If this symptom develops after hypothermia, then you can take a warm bath with essential oils.

2. If chills develop due to a cold, then you need to wrap yourself in a warm blanket and drink lemon tea with honey. It is also advisable to drink plenty of fluids so that the body can quickly overcome the infection.

3. If this condition was provoked endocrine disorders, then you need to take a blood test for hormones. If it shows a lack of thyroid hormones, the endocrinologist can prescribe the necessary medication treatment.

4. If the cause of chills is vegetative-vascular dystonia, then you need to take medications to strengthen blood vessels. It is also important to give up bad habits and start eating right.

5. If chills occur due to severe stress or nervous tension, it is recommended to calm down and drink mint tea. Sour berry decoctions and warm milk with honey will also help.

Chills without fever: causes and prevention

Fortunately, this unpleasant symptom can be prevented. To do this, you just need to follow the following recommendations:

1. Avoid hypothermia (dress appropriately for the weather).

2. Control your psycho-emotional state and pay attention to stress in a timely manner. Signs of stress usually include:

Loss of appetite;

Weakness;

Nausea;

Sleep disturbance;

Nervousness;

Hot temper;

Depressive states;

Oppression;

Bad mood;

The desire to hide “from the whole world”;

Binge eating;

Problems at work.

1. Avoid physical exhaustion.

2. For diabetes mellitus, carry out complex treatment and prevent complications from the disease.

3. If your extremities are constantly cold, consult a doctor and find out the reason for this. If vegetative-vascular dystonia is detected, treat it.

4. Temper yourself.

5. Play sports.

6. Give up bad habits.

7. Watch your diet.

8. In case of sudden pressure surges, constantly monitor these indicators and avoid sudden changes.

Causes of chills without fever or when to see a doctor

Despite its harmlessness, if chills are accompanied by certain additional symptoms, then it is better for the person to consult a doctor. Such manifestations are:

1. A condition in which a person suffers from chills, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This may indicate an acute intestinal infection that requires immediate treatment. In this case, you can seek help from a therapist or gastroenterologist.

2. A rash on the body and difficulty breathing along with chills may indicate the development of an allergy.

3. A runny nose, cough, weakness and body aches can signal a flu or cold. In this condition, it is recommended to consult a therapist.

4. If chills are accompanied by strange symptoms (fever, redness of the skin, large blisters appearing on it, etc.), especially after visiting exotic countries, then you need to contact an infectious disease specialist as soon as possible.

5. If chills recur regularly and almost at the same time, then it is advisable to consult a cardiologist. After an examination and a series of procedures, the doctor can identify hypertension and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Etiology

Chills in a child or adult may occur as if elevated temperature, and without such a symptom. Chills without fever can be caused by the following etiological factors:

• severe hypothermia of the body;
• stressful situation, severe nervous tension;
• neuroses;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• problems with blood circulation;
• sudden changes in blood pressure.

In addition, it is necessary to highlight the following etiological factors that can cause chills, both without fever and with fever:

• toxic or food poisoning;
• infection;
• acute respiratory infection;
• Raynaud's disease;
• tuberculosis;
• syphilis;
• disorders digestive system.

It should be noted that if the chill lasts more than a couple of hours and the person cannot warm up, the body temperature does not stabilize, you need to call an emergency medical care. In such cases, chills without fever indicate an acute infectious process.

Clinicians note that in some cases, chills may be observed during pregnancy in the early stages, which is due to experiences, changes in hormonal levels and in the functioning of the body.

Chills before menstruation are also observed quite often, which may be due to hormonal imbalances and characteristics female body. In this case, you need to contact a gynecologist or endocrinologist.

Symptoms

The general clinical picture of chills without fever can be supplemented by specific signs, the nature of which will depend on the underlying factor. General symptoms include the following:

• the person “shakes”, “goose bumps” form;
• headache;
• warming clothes and drinks do not give the desired effect;
• increased weakness and drowsiness.

Chills during poisoning may be accompanied by the following additional clinical signs:

• nausea, vomiting;
• severe weakness;
• pale skin;
• there is constant chills;
• increased sweating;
• disorders in the gastrointestinal tract - diarrhea, rumbling in the stomach.

It should be noted that with this clinical picture, chills and nausea appear almost simultaneously. A person may feel less chilled after a bout of vomiting, but for a short time.

If chills without fever are provoked by an infectious process, then the general clinical picture may contain symptoms of general intoxication of the body.

It should be understood that severe chills without fever are always a sign of a certain pathological process, so you should consult a doctor and not self-medicate.

Diagnostics

Only a doctor can tell you what to do if you have chills, after making an accurate diagnosis and identifying the etiology of this symptom. Initially medical specialist(in this case the physician) performs a physical examination. If necessary, the patient can be redirected to a specialized doctor. To make an accurate diagnosis, laboratory and instrumental examination methods are prescribed:

• general and biochemical analysis blood;
• general urine analysis;
• fluorography;
• X-ray examination of internal organs;
• STD test;
• immunological studies.

You need to understand that only a doctor can prescribe an accurate diagnostic program after an examination and clarification of the general medical history. If chills are observed during pregnancy, then X-ray examinations are excluded if possible.

Treatment

Therapy will depend on the underlying factor in the development of the clinical picture and the symptom in particular. If the cause is determined to be an infectious disease, the doctor prescribes drug therapy, bed rest and diet. The list of medications may include the following:

• antibiotics;
• antipyretics;
• vitamin complexes.

In case of food poisoning, drugs are prescribed to stabilize the functioning of the stomach, sorbents. Be sure to follow a diet.

In the event that this symptom is provoked by the development of an STD or a systemic illness, an appropriate basic therapy, taking into account individual characteristics organism and clinical picture.

Only a doctor can tell you how to properly eliminate chills in a child or adult, if there is a clearly established diagnosis. Self-medication is unacceptable for the simple reason that in this way only the symptom itself can be eliminated, and not the root cause.

Prevention

In this case no specific methods prevention. If you have such a symptom, you should consult a doctor and not self-medicate.

Every person in his life has encountered such a phenomenon as chills. Its occurrence is possible due to the fact that the human body is a complex biological mechanism in which constantly occurring metabolic processes are accompanied by the release of large amounts of heat. However, humans, unlike reptiles and some other species of living beings, have a relatively stable body temperature, strong fluctuations of which can lead to death. When the need to warm the body arises, a number of processes are launched aimed at reducing output and increasing heat production, which leads to an increase in body temperature. As a rule, this complex process is in some cases accompanied by the appearance of chills.

Chills

Chills are a subjective feeling of freezing, accompanied by spasm of skin blood vessels and body tremors, the occurrence of which occurs as a result of convulsive muscle contractions.

The thermoregulation center is responsible for the occurrence of chills, the main task of which is to maintain body temperature within physiological limits. The importance of this process is due to the structural features of the body. Thus, a large number of biochemical processes associated with movement, mental activity, breathing and digestion are constantly occurring in the human body. For their normal functioning, the participation of enzymes is necessary - special proteins that can change their functions at the slightest temperature fluctuations. The greatest danger to life comes from too high an increase in temperature, which can lead to irreversible denaturation of proteins (enzymes), making respiration at the cellular level impossible. When the thermoregulatory center perceives body temperature as low, this leads to increased heat production and decreased heat loss, which may be accompanied by chills.

A number of factors predispose to the development of chills in an infant due to freezing:

• imperfection of thermoregulation processes;
• a relatively greater amount of body surface area per kilogram of body weight than in adults;
• low muscle mass.

Nature has tried to compensate for these traits by increasing the intensity of metabolic processes (accompanied by the release of heat) and increasing the amount of subcutaneous fatty tissue (not only has good heat-insulating properties, but is also a source of energy). In this regard, parents should pay considerable attention to the state of the child’s body temperature.

Also, the appearance of sudden chills in a child can be caused by a stressful situation, which is associated with sensitivity and impressionability in childhood.

Chills in a child in most cases are associated with infectious processes. A number of features predispose to this. Thus, in children, immunity is in the process of maturation, especially in the period before the onset of school age. Also of great importance is the fact that the immune system after birth is exposed to a huge number of antigens, which places a significant burden on it after development in a sterile environment during the prenatal period. The prevalence of infectious diseases in the preschool period is greatly influenced by child behavior associated with curiosity, when children put all sorts of objects in their mouths without first washing them. In addition, in large groups of children, usually in kindergartens, epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases are observed. In such cases, chills in the child are the first manifestation of the disease.

Symptoms of body chills in children are in most cases noticeable from the outside. As a rule, the child experiences slight tremors (even convulsions), increased fatigue, drowsiness, and irritability. Small children may cry for a long time.

However, the cause of chills in a child can also be banal hypothermia, associated with a miscalculation by the parents when dressing the child before going outside. In such cases, it is important to know that hypothermia can also occur at temperatures environment above zero.

Symptoms and causes of chills in adolescents are usually no different from those in adults.

Chills in adults

The causes of chills in women and men, as a rule, differ slightly. A much greater influence on the development of chills is exerted not by characteristics associated with gender, but by such individual characteristics, such as the age of the patients, body mass index, the presence of hormonal imbalances, characteristics of work and nutrition.

The most common causes of chills in women and men are young and mature age are hypothermia and infectious processes.

Hypothermia occurs most often during the cold season, when the outside temperature in some regions drops significantly below zero, but this can occur even in the summer. As a rule, parameters such as air temperature and humidity have a significant impact on the balance between heat transfer and thermoregulation, which makes it possible to cool the body below physiological temperature.

The development of chills can be influenced by such a feature of the human body as daily temperature fluctuations. Thus, the highest body temperature is observed during wakefulness, but normally it rarely exceeds 37 degrees, while during sleep its decrease can reach 35.5 degrees Celsius.

As a rule, the incidence of injuries among men is greater than among women. This is due not only to lifestyle characteristics, but also to more frequent participation in armed conflicts. Also, according to statistics, 69% of road accidents occur due to the fault of men (most likely due to the fact that there are more drivers among them).

Chills during injuries are caused by the breakdown of the affected tissues, as well as the addition of infectious complications.

In men, especially in the Russian Federation, alcoholism is a common and serious problem. In some cases, alcohol intoxication leads to the development of severe chills, the cause of which is the toxic effect of ethyl alcohol and its breakdown products on the nervous system. It is also possible to develop serious multiple organ failure, which requires immediate assistance.

Chills in women

As a rule, chills in women can be a manifestation of chronic infectious processes in the area of ​​the uterus and its appendages. Of particular danger to life is the development of sepsis, a life-threatening condition, the likelihood of which is highest after a criminal abortion complicated by a bacterial or viral infection.

Often the cause of chills is a change in hormonal levels, which is typical for hypothyroidism, menopause and diabetes.

Chills can be one of the manifestations of loss of a significant volume of blood, which is most often found with internal bleeding. This is due to impaired blood supply to organs, which disrupts metabolism at the tissue level.

In cases of panic and stress, women with a demonstrative character may also experience severe chills that go away after calming down.

At the beginning of pregnancy, chills can be a manifestation of increased synthesis of progesterone, the concentration of which does not decrease during pregnancy, which increases basal temperature bodies. This is a normal phenomenon that should not be feared, especially if the body temperature does not exceed 37 degrees. The duration of this condition can be 8 weeks while the woman’s body adapts to new changes.

The appearance of chills during pregnancy, especially in combination with signs of damage respiratory tract, may indicate a cold. This etiology, as a rule, is also supported by an increase in temperature above 37 degrees. Diseases such as measles, rubella and mumps pose a particular danger in the early stages. In some cases, women try to cope with infectious diseases on their own by reading various advice on the Internet, which is a fundamentally wrong action. Thus, the drugs taken may not only be ineffective, but also have teratogenic properties (especially dangerous in the early stages).

Chills during pregnancy can be one of the manifestations of her fading. As a rule, in such cases, the appearance of chills is caused by intoxication and is observed 2-3 weeks after the cessation of fetal development. There is also a decrease in signs of toxicosis in pregnant women.

Regardless of the severity of the symptoms, chills during pregnancy are a reason to seek advice from a specialist who can choose the right treatment.

Chills while breastfeeding

Chills in women during breastfeeding can be a manifestation of lactostasis - a process when, 3-4 days after birth, milk stagnates in some areas of the mammary gland. The reason for this phenomenon is, as a rule, underdevelopment milk ducts, especially in first-time mothers. Reabsorption of milk, which has pyrogenic properties, causes the development of chills. In the future, the lack of treatment for lactostasis may be complicated by the addition of mastitis.

Also, chills in the early period after childbirth may not be associated with feeding, especially if a cesarean section was performed. The cause may be an infectious process in the area of ​​surgical intervention.

With age, irreversible changes occur in the body associated with aging. They are also significantly affected by concomitant diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension and heart disease complicated by heart failure. As a result, the combination of these diseases leads to a decrease in the intensity of metabolic processes responsible for heat production. In addition, chills can be one of the manifestations of chronic heart failure, which is associated with impaired blood supply to organs and tissues, resulting in a decrease in their temperature.

Also, older people are characterized by low body weight, which is associated with smaller volumes of muscle tissue and subcutaneous fat compared to adults. As a result of this, not only a decrease in heat production occurs, but also an increase in heat transfer.

The combination of these factors, along with changes in hormonal levels, lead to a decrease in the body’s resistance to the development of hypothermia in old age, which often causes chills.

It is also common for older people to take a large number of medications, side effects which may be associated with the development of chills.

In old age, chronic infectious diseases often become widespread, the clinical picture of which is blurred, which is associated with a deterioration of the immune response. As a rule, there is a slight fever, the appearance of which is accompanied by chills of the body.

Unfortunately, oncological diseases Recently they have become increasingly widespread. Chills in such situations are part of the paraneoplastic syndrome - a set of symptoms accompanying the appearance malignant tumor. In addition, chemotherapy courses may be accompanied by severe chills and other manifestations of intoxication, the occurrence of which is associated with the breakdown of tumor tissue.

In most cases, the symptoms of chills allow one to suspect some kind of pathology in a person, especially if he is unable to help himself (children, people in a state of severe intoxication, the elderly).

The most common manifestations of chills include:

• subjective feeling of cold;
• trembling in the muscles of the body and limbs;
• pale skin;
• spasm of the smooth muscles of the skin, which is accompanied by the appearance of “goose bumps”.

Symptoms of chills can vary widely. This is associated, as a rule, not so much with the difference between the ambient temperature and the surface of the skin, but with the degree of excitability of the thermoregulatory center.

Mild chills

Mild chills occur, as a rule, most often and are a typical manifestation of the body’s beginning to cool, the cause of which, in most cases, is an underestimation of weather conditions before going outside.

Also, in some cases, chills may occur - a subjective feeling of cold, not accompanied by external manifestations of chills, the cause of which is excitement.

Severe chills

Severe chills may indicate the development of pathological processes in the body and should alert the patient. Depending on the cause of its development, a set of measures should be taken to eliminate them.

The main reasons that cause severe chills are intoxication and severe excitement. In such cases, the patient's severe trembling can reach convulsions, often accompanied by a decrease in the clarity of thought processes. Such people require help.

The degree of change in body temperature during chills is one of the most important diagnostic criteria, allowing one to determine not only the cause of its development, but also the severity of the general condition of the body.

Moreover, the appearance of chills may occur both when the temperature rises and when it decreases. From this we can conclude that chills are a nonspecific symptom, and therefore the provision of assistance when it occurs may vary significantly.

The mechanism of development of body chills

To understand the processes that occur when body chills appear, one should understand what the mechanism of thermoregulation is.

Normally, the human body maintains a balance between receiving and releasing heat, which provides relatively constant temperature internal environments of the body. This became possible due to the constant work of central thermogenesis and the maintenance of a gradient in the distribution of thermal energy between the internal and external parts of the body, which is associated with different thermal conductivity of the body tissues. Yes, subcutaneous fatty tissue And skin, with spasmodic vessels, they conduct heat much worse compared to blood, muscles and other internal organs. An example of the presence of a gradient is the difference between the temperature in the rectum and distal sections limbs.

Cold and thermal receptors are responsible for receiving information about the cooling or heating of external integuments and internal organs, the operation of which depends on two parameters - the degree of their excitability and the temperature of the area in which they are located.

When the skin or internal organs are cooled, the activity of cold receptors increases, after which the signal arising in them is transmitted to the supraoptic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, which causes a decrease in heat transfer and an increase in heat production. Also, information about a decrease in temperature can be transmitted through the activation of thermosensitive neurons of the hypothalamus upon their contact with cooled blood (temperature fluctuations of tenths of a degree are detected, which allows timely adjustment of the temperature balance).

Very often, a change in the sensitivity of skin receptors or hypothalamic neurons under the influence of various substances circulating in the blood leads to a disruption in the perception of information about the real state of temperature balance.

Activation of the supraoptic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus triggers a number of processes leading to:

• narrowing of blood vessels in the skin, which allows not only to reduce its thermal conductivity, but also to reduce heat transfer through cooling the blood;
• sympathetic activation nervous system, which is accompanied by the release of stress hormones that cause an acceleration of metabolic reactions, accompanied by the burning of carbohydrates and fats, resulting in the release of a significant amount of heat (newborns have brown adipose tissue that saves them from freezing);
• activation of the extrapyramidal system, leading to stimulation of skeletal muscles, which is manifested by systemic tremors (muscle contraction requires the presence of ATP, the breakdown of which is associated with the release of energy).

Thus, if we consider the mechanism of thermoregulation, the main purpose of chills is to increase body temperature.

In addition, the occurrence of body chills is associated with the appearance of mental discomfort, which has a significant impact on a person’s behavior associated with warming up (he puts on warmer clothes or enters a room with a higher air temperature).

Chills with an increase in body temperature are a very common symptom and, as a rule, are observed in conditions of the body accompanied by intoxication of varying degrees of severity.

However, chills when the temperature rises are not always observed. Thus, if the increase in body temperature occurred gradually over a long period of time, or heat production initially significantly prevailed over heat transfer (during intense physical activity), then chills are not observed, since there is no biological meaning in its occurrence.

Causes of chills

There are a huge number of reasons that can cause chills.

So, chills can occur when:

• infectious processes accompanied by the release of pyrogens (colds, flu, pancreatitis, hepatitis, purulent diseases, sepsis, etc.);
• injuries (both with damage to the nervous system and accompanied by extensive tissue necrosis);
• endocrine disorders (hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, hypopituitarism, adrenal hypofunction);
• hypothermia;
• shock (hypovolemic, cardiogenic, traumatic, infectious-toxic, septic, anaphylactic, neurogenic);
• stress in excitable people.

However, in some cases, chills are accompanied by a number of features that suggest one or another reason for the appearance of this symptom.

Chills without fever

Normal body temperature during chills is quite common and, in most cases, allows one to exclude the infectious nature of the process. Although, there are situations when chills without fever are observed during long-term, sluggish chronic infections, such as tuberculosis or syphilis. It should be noted that much more often these diseases, even when the course is erased, are still accompanied by a slight increase in temperature (usually subfebrile).

Chills without fever can occur during hypothermia - when the body cannot cope with the task and cannot independently raise the temperature (observed during hypothermia in people with low nutrition and requires urgent warming).

Also, the appearance of chills without fever may be a manifestation of severe metabolic disorders, accompanied by both damage to the nervous system and a decrease in heat production as a result of impaired systemic circulation. The causes of this phenomenon are, as a rule, endocrine pathology and multiple organ failure of various etiologies.

The cause of chills without fever can be anemia, which leads to disruption of the transport of oxygen and nutrients, which causes disruption of metabolic processes in organs and tissues. Also with this condition, weakness, dizziness, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, pale skin and mucous membranes are observed.

Chills and increased body temperature are normally part of a single process of thermoregulation. Oddly enough, but fever has protective functions and its occurrence is adaptive in nature.

Thus, an increase in temperature to 38.5 degrees is accompanied by:

• decreased viability of bacteria in the blood;
• an increase in the rate of metabolic reactions by 10 times or more;
• increased activity of the cellular and humoral components of immunity;
• increasing the body's resistance to hypoxia by enhancing the efficiency of oxidative processes.

However, when the temperature rises above 38.5 degrees, the effectiveness of some physiological reactions may decrease as a result of impaired enzyme function.

During chills, high body temperature develops under the influence of pyrogens - substances that affect the anterior hypothalamus and increase the sensitivity of thermosensitive neurons, which leads to a predominance of heat production over heat transfer.

In most cases, pyrogens are endogenous in nature and their appearance can be associated both with an infectious process and with the breakdown of one’s own tissues. In some cases, exogenous pyrogens may enter the body, which will cause an increase in temperature. In this case, chills will most often be accompanied by other signs of intoxication - weakness, fatigue, a feeling of weakness, sweating.

Most often, infectious diseases have a prodromal period, during which the pathogen multiplies and fights against the body’s immune forces. In some cases, during this period, increased fatigue and weakness are observed, but no increase in temperature is noted. At high temperatures, chills begin, as a rule, when its values ​​are at normal level and accompanies her until her growth is stopped. It is the appearance of fever that indicates the height of the disease.

As a rule, in such situations it is recommended to consult a specialist who can make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. It is not recommended to wrap yourself tightly in warm clothes, apply mustard plasters and use other methods that involve heating the body.

Sharp chills at a high temperature associated with injury should alert the patient, since a large number of damaged tissues (whether it is a burn or the result of direct traumatic exposure) serves as a favorable environment for the attachment of bacteria that can lead to an infectious process.

Chills and pain

Chills and pain are common manifestations of various diseases. Pain characteristics such as localization, duration, and intensity play a significant role in determining the cause of these symptoms.

The appearance of pain is a protective reaction of the body, the purpose of which is to transmit information about damage to organs or tissues. As a rule, its occurrence is accompanied by the release of stress hormones, leading to severe anxiety, one of the manifestations of which is chills.

Chills and abdominal pain can result from such serious non-infectious diseases as acute pancreatitis and peptic ulcer when it is perforated. The cause of chills in this case is either strong anxiety associated with unbearable pain, or the entry of biologically active substances into the bloodstream from the site of inflammation.

If chills and pain are a consequence of traumatic exposure, then local changes at the site of injury are also observed. For chills to develop in the absence of infections, the volume of damage must be significant or accompanied by blood loss, the absorption of breakdown products of which also has a pyrogenic effect. As a rule, if you contact a specialist in a timely manner, proper treatment and the absence of infection, a favorable outcome is observed.

The addition of infection to injuries is accompanied by a significant increase in fever, chills and pain. In further development infectious process can lead to such unpleasant complications as:

• abscess;
• phlegmon;
• osteomyelitis;
• sepsis.

If comprehensive treatment is not started, the risk of death increases significantly.

Nausea and chills may occur during menstruation in women. A number of reasons can lead to these symptoms.

Chills during menstruation most often occur as a result of changes in the ratios and concentrations of sex hormones that occur when changing stages of the menstrual cycle.

The occurrence of nausea may be associated with an excess of hormones, which is especially common when taking oral contraceptives.

So, in some cases, the uterus may deviate slightly back, as a result of which during menstruation it begins to put pressure on the nerve centers, which leads to nausea, heaviness in the lower abdominal cavity, as well as pain radiating to the lower back and sacrum.

Nausea and chills can be a manifestation of early toxicosis in pregnant women, often becoming the first symptoms to suspect pregnancy. Their occurrence is associated with the adaptation of the mother’s body to new conditions.

Nausea and chills can be a manifestation of panic, attacks of which can be characterized as sudden fear. The prevalence of this phenomenon is about 2% among the population. As a rule, the first attacks occur in at a young age, periodically accompanying a person throughout his life. Subsequently, the fear of their reoccurrence is called panic attacks.

Nausea and chills may be a manifestation of acute renal failure resulting from urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, hydronephrosis and other diseases accompanied by damage to renal tissue.

Chills at night

Chills at night are often found in older people, which is associated with age-related changes. As a rule, with age, the intensity and efficiency of ongoing metabolic processes decreases, which, along with a decrease in the mass of muscle and fat tissue, leads to hypothermia. Cooling the body triggers a series of processes whose purpose is to increase body temperature. Chills are one of the manifestations of these processes.

Chills during sleep, in most cases, are a consequence of excessive sweating, which can occur under the influence of a significant number of factors. A person wakes up in a cold sweat, which helps cool the body. The body's actions aimed at warming the body are accompanied by the development of chills.

At night, body chills can occur in diabetics and be a consequence of a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood plasma. As a rule, a feeling of heat, tremors of the limbs and body, headaches, hunger, rapid heartbeat, increased sweating and general weakness are also observed. In most cases, the development of this condition is caused by a lack of glucose control.

Chills at night combined with sweating and a feeling of heat in people with low body weight, especially in poor living conditions, may be a manifestation of a disease such as tuberculosis.

In some cases, chills at night are associated with night terrors, in which the patient experiences vivid events associated with stress, which leads to nervous tension and increased sweating.

The reason for the development of chills at night may be changes in hormonal levels, accompanied by changes in metabolism. As a rule, the cause of these disorders can be damage to the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. In women, the appearance of chills is characteristic of the menopause. In most cases, hormonal changes are associated with increased sweating, which leads to the development of chills.

Headache and chills can be a manifestation of vegetative or panic migraine. Typically, an attack of this type of migraine is accompanied by rapid heartbeat, lacrimation, a feeling of suffocation and swelling of the face. Migraine is the primary form of cephalgia, the main manifestation of which is intense, paroxysmal headaches. The first signs of the disease are observed before the age of 20 years.

In this condition, a differential diagnosis should be made with tumor diseases, which requires an MRI.

Headache and chills, combined with meningeal symptoms and severe intoxication may be a manifestation of meningitis. With this disease, bacterial inflammation of the meningeal membranes is observed, requiring immediate treatment due to possible complications.

Chills, headache and high fever (temperature can usually exceed 38°C), combined with signs of respiratory tract damage, can be a manifestation of influenza - an acute viral infection. Photophobia, a feeling of weakness, and drowsiness may also be observed.

Headache and chills without fever, combined with weakness, a feeling of heat, polyuria and tension in the neck muscles can be observed with hypertensive cerebral crisis. As a rule, symptoms of chills in this case occur in the evening, after stress. If after the measurement your blood pressure is high, it is recommended to call an ambulance, as there is a risk of brain damage due to a stroke.

The consequences of an ischemic stroke can include numbness of the limbs, paralysis, impaired speech, frequent headaches and chills. As a rule, the development of this disease is due to the progression of atherosclerosis, and therefore there is a risk of developing repeated attacks, to prevent which the patency of the great vessels of the brain should be assessed.

In some cases, a concussion is accompanied not only by a violation of its functions (as a rule, a short-term loss of consciousness and memory of events before the injury develops), but also by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, thirst, weakness, chills and headache. Possible loss of orientation in space.

Do you get chills for no reason?

Sometimes people wonder if chills can occur for no reason. Typically, this occurs when they detect the onset of chills that are not accompanied by other symptoms of the disease.

This may be due to both the low severity of other pathological manifestations and the patient’s adaptation to the symptoms as they gradually develop. As a rule, a deeper study of the problem allows you to find a number of other signs of the disease that allow you to make a diagnosis.

Thus, if a patient complains of chills for no apparent reason, the following should be done:

• thorough visual inspection;
• conducting functional tests;
• clinical, laboratory and instrumental studies.

The most common cause leading to nausea, fever, chills and vomiting is foodborne illness. This disease can be caused by a group of pathogens, but they are united by a common pathogenesis. Thus, in most cases food poisoning is caused by representatives opportunistic flora humans, who, under the influence of environmental factors, change their biological properties and gain the ability to synthesize exotoxins.

The transmission mechanism for this group of diseases is fecal-oral. A prerequisite is the entry of pathogens into food products with a subsequent increase in the number of pathogenic organisms and the exotoxins they release, which requires a certain time. The following types of food are most often contaminated: milk, dairy products, meat, fish, confectionery products containing cream.

In some cases, it is not possible to distinguish spoiled products from normal ones, which is due to the lack of color and odor in some exotoxins.

After consuming contaminated foods, foodborne pathogens begin to colonize the digestive tract. As a rule, a significant part of pathogenic organisms penetrates the mucous membrane, where, when they encounter the body’s immune forces, they die with the release of endotoxin, the appearance of which in the blood determines the development of such signs of intoxication as fatigue, weakness and chills. Vomiting and other signs of digestive disorders are caused by both the action of exotoxin (secretory diarrhea) and inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane gastrointestinal tract(exudative diarrhea). Disturbances in the digestive system can lead to disruption of the body's water and electrolyte balance, which can lead to serious consequences, especially in young children. In this regard, efforts in providing assistance should be aimed not only at eliminating the pathogen, but also at compensating for water and electrolyte metabolism.

Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting without chills and fever can result from food intoxication. With this disease, bacteria enter food, where they multiply and release significant amounts of exotoxins. The difference from foodborne toxic infection is the absence of colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by pathogens, and therefore the clinical picture is dominated by symptoms of dysfunction of the digestive system, while manifestations of intoxication are slightly expressed. As a rule, after 2-3 days the symptoms of the disease disappear on their own.

In severe cases, with severe dehydration, nausea, vomiting and chills can be a manifestation of food intoxication. However, the occurrence of chills is not associated with the systemic action of the pathogen, but with a significant change in water and electrolyte balance, which leads to multiple organ failure, accompanied by impaired metabolic processes.

Nausea, chills, temperature

Nausea, chills and fever are typical signs of intoxication of the body, accompanying inflammatory processes in the body of both infectious and non-infectious nature.

Infectious diseases leading to intoxication of the body can be either acute (sore throat, flu, pneumonia) or chronic (chronic abscess accompanied by severe intoxication).

Non-infectious lesions of internal organs, accompanied by nausea, chills and fever, are usually represented by necrotic processes in one’s own tissues.

The causes of chills without obvious signs of damage to other organs and systems may be associated with oncological processes. Systemic manifestations tumor process caused by nonspecific reactions on the part of unaffected organs and systems and are called paraneoplastic syndrome. As a rule, a feature of a malignant neoplasm is high speed growth and the predominance of anaerobic respiration, due to the inability of the body to meet the needs of the tumor, which can rightfully be considered a nutrient trap. An increasing discrepancy between the needs of the tumor and the body’s ability to provide it with nutrients, against the background of progressive local lactic acidosis (as a result of the inability to fully oxidize glucose), leads to the formation of first minor and then massive necrosis of tumor tissue. Also, the appearance of metastases, in most cases, is accompanied by the destruction of normal tissues of the body. Against the background of the changes described above, a person experiences severe intoxication, the manifestation of which is general weakness, increased fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, chills and fever. Due to a lack of nutrients, in most cases there is significant weight loss. Treatment and outcome of the disease usually depend on the specific clinical situation.

If a sharp chill occurs as a result of sudden hypothermia or developed hypothermia, a set of measures should be taken to eliminate the cold and warm the patient. As a rule, wrapping in warm clothing is used. Warm drinks are also recommended. Taking small doses of alcohol can only be justified if the person is already in a warm room and the causes of hypothermia have been eliminated. Drinking alcohol while still being exposed to the causes that caused hypothermia will lead to dilation of blood vessels in the skin, which will significantly increase heat transfer and lead to a deterioration in the body's condition.

As a rule, in other cases, eliminating the cause, one of the manifestations of which is severe chills, allows you to get rid of this symptom.

Pathological conditions in which chills and nausea occur simultaneously may indicate many disorders and diseases of various types. Thus, the human body signals about disturbances in the digestive system, the functioning of internal organs, endocrine disorders and even mental problems. The occurrence of such symptoms should be a reason to contact a specialist or call an ambulance.

Reasons and features

In medical practice, chills, nausea and vomiting are often observed during poisoning. In addition to the above symptoms, a person feels weakness, dizziness, increased body temperature, and signs of stomach upset appear. Severe poisoning is accompanied by dehydration and requires immediate action. medical care. In the absence of diarrhea, consider other causes pathological condition.

Thus, chills and nausea accompany a panic attack, during which the pulse accelerates, blood rushes to the face, difficulty breathing and weakness are felt. In severe cases, a person loses control over himself and feels fear instant death. Despite the fact that thousands of people are susceptible to this condition, most of them do not attach much importance to it. Others, fearing a heart attack, panic and call emergency doctors.

A panic attack is characterized as a sudden, unaccountable fear that causes a characteristic reaction in the body. Most often, attacks occur at a young age in 2% of the population, which are regarded as “nerves” or “stress”, and can haunt people throughout their lives. This condition appears suddenly and lasts about an hour, during which there is increased heart rate and sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chills, nausea, weakness and problems swallowing.

With repeated cases of panic or fear of its occurrence, the disease may develop - panic attack, which is more common in females. Its causes are not fully understood, but it is believed that in this way the body intuitively activates defense systems, preparing to repel a possible threat. Also to panic attack An urgent need for a drug, hyperthyroidism and an impending heart attack can lead. If you experience any symptoms of a panic attack, you should consult a doctor.

This particular incident is described in the video.

Other causes of nausea and vomiting may include: nervous disorders caused by traumatic brain injury, bruises or cerebral edema.

The following diseases can also provoke the above symptoms:

Migraine. Characterized by paroxysmal headache and nausea. The duration of symptoms depends on the severity of blood supply disorders in individual areas of the brain. The condition can last up to several days. Brain tumor. Characterized by severe, frequently recurring systematic headache and nausea. Meningitis. An infectious disease in which inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord occurs. It is characterized by severe headache, chills, nausea, increased body temperature, as well as darkening of the skin in the form of spots. Borelliosis. It is characterized by weakness, dizziness and headache, and nausea and vomiting are often observed. This affects the joints and skin, nervous system, joints and blood vessels. Arterial hypertension. Main sign pathologies - periodic headache, which is often accompanied by chills, nausea and vomiting.

The combined manifestation of chills and nausea can cause the following diseases:

Pathologies of an infectious nature (scarlet fever, gastric meningitis, measles). Acute renal failure. Toxemia (poisoning of the body due to the breakdown of its own tissues). Inflammation of the respiratory tract (pharyngitis, sore throat, bronchitis). Hepatitis A in the preicteric stage. Cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts). Dyskinesia in the small intestine. Cholecystitis. Postoperative conditions after intervention in the respiratory and digestive systems.

The appearance of nausea and chills is a reason to contact a medical facility or call an ambulance, since self-diagnosis may be inaccurate, and self-medication is unacceptable. Certain diseases causing chills and nausea may pose a threat to human life or health.

What to do?

Elimination of the symptoms of nausea and chills is associated with the treatment of a specific condition or disease that causes them. For this purpose, medical and folk remedies are used, as well as a special diet and nutrition correction.

Medicines

Depending on the nature of nausea and chills, the doctor may prescribe the following medications to eliminate them:

Loperamide. Used to treat diarrhea of ​​various nature, including emotional. Eliminates the root cause of nausea and chills in gastrointestinal disorders. Contraindicated in cases of hypersensitivity, dysentery, diverticulosis and conditions associated with intestinal obstruction and inhibition of peristalsis, under the age of 6 years. Price 11-55 rub. Regidron. A product for restoring water and electrolyte balance, correcting acidosis and energy balance during intense physical activity. Eliminates nausea and vomiting during intoxication. Contraindicated in cases of hypersensitivity, liver and kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, intestinal obstruction, unconsciousness of the patient and hypotension. Price 390-410 rub. Diprazine. An antihistamine that calms the nervous system, enhances the effect of local painkillers, lowers body temperature and eliminates nausea. Contraindicated when drinking alcohol, having impaired kidney or liver function, driving or complex mechanisms, requiring increased attention. Price 780-1450 rub. Paracetamol. Intended for use for pain of various origins, chills, fever, infectious and inflammatory diseases. Contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity, alcoholism, anemia, severe violations liver or kidney function in the first trimester of pregnancy. Price 6-75 rub. Balm “Star”. Helps relax muscles and normalize blood flow, eliminates symptoms of infectious respiratory diseases and psycho-emotional disorders, relieves headaches and chills, and eliminates the feeling of nausea. Contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the drug. It is recommended to conduct a susceptibility test before use. Price 60-220 rub.

Traditional treatment

The use of folk remedies can effectively relieve symptoms of chills and nausea. But before using them, be sure to consult with your doctor. The following are used for this purpose: traditional methods treatment:

Warm the body with warm clothes and periodically drink hot tea containing raspberries and lemon, which reduces the feeling of nausea. If there is no fever, it is recommended to take a warm bath or steam your feet in a basin. In a stressful situation or mental imbalance, it is recommended to drink a glass of water, breathe deeply and take tea containing lemon balm, mint, sage and chamomile. For severe headaches and chills (migraines), use a piece of cloth soaked in vinegar and olive oil, which is applied to the frontal part of the head. After a few minutes, the symptoms will begin to subside. St. John's wort decoction. Helps eliminate intestinal disorders and relieves headaches. Prepared by brewing 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs in a glass of boiling water, followed by infusion for 6 hours. Take 200 g after meals. Eating grapefruit, lemon or orange lowers body temperature, eliminating chills, and reduces the feeling of nausea.

Nutrition correction and diet

Reception medicines with nausea and chills it will help to stop the manifestation of unpleasant symptoms once. But if the cause of problems in the body is associated with intoxication or disease of the gastrointestinal tract, the following recommendations should be followed:

If you feel nauseous, stop eating heavy food for 2-3 hours. Severe nausea and chills associated with an increase in temperature will help eliminate fresh lemon. The best liquid to drink for nausea is still water or juice. Food should be consumed in small portions and chewed thoroughly. It is advisable to eat light meals (low-fat soup, broth). Include milk porridge in your diet. Drink freshly squeezed fruit juices.

If symptoms of nausea occur, limit the consumption of the following foods:

Fatty, smoked and fried foods. Carbonated drinks, coffee, alcohol and energy drinks. Spicy foods. Conservation. Sweets.

If nausea is present for 3-5 days, this is reported to a gastroenterologist or therapist for diagnosis, identification of the cause of the disorder and prevention of possible unwanted complications (gastritis, ulcers).

Prevention

Preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of symptoms of nausea and chills are as follows:

Careful monitoring of diet to prevent the possibility of poisoning. Compliance with hygienic and sanitary standards to prevent infection by various types of infections and environmental influences that can weaken the body and lead to diseases. Regular examination with a doctor in order to identify possible pathological conditions and diseases, and their timely treatment. Timely consultation with a doctor at the first appearance of symptoms of nausea and chills. Active lifestyle, adherence to daily routine and absence of bad habits.

The appearance of symptoms of nausea and chills indicates the presence of certain problems in the body. They may be the result of poisoning, certain mental conditions or diseases. To eliminate unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to find out their cause, and then begin treatment. For this purpose, contact a doctor who will diagnose and prescribe adequate therapy. Timely contact with a specialist increases the chances of eliminating the problem as quickly as possible and achieving a complete cure.

Note!

The presence of symptoms such as:

bad breath, abdominal pain, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, belching, increased gas production (flatulence)

If you have at least 2 of these symptoms, then this indicates a developing

gastritis or stomach ulcer.

These diseases are dangerous due to the development of serious complications (penetration, stomach bleeding etc.), many of which can lead to

LETHAL

outcome. Treatment needs to start now.

Read the article about how a woman got rid of these symptoms by defeating their main cause. Read the material...

If a person develops severe chills and the body breaks down, this means that a spasm occurs in the blood vessels and muscles of the skin.

The patient gradually develops the following symptoms:

weakness and trembling throughout the body; increased sweating at night; nausea and vomiting; headache.

Chills without fever in women and men are accompanied by problems with the masticatory muscles. Most often, the reason for this condition lies in hypothermia, since in such a situation the temperature drops sharply and the person begins to shiver. This is how a protective reaction to cold manifests itself.

Why then does the temperature rise? This factor is caused by muscle spasm, which leads to an increase in the amount of heat in the body. If a person warms up quickly, the chills disappear naturally.

Chills are usually accompanied by fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, and normal body temperature changes to high. Chills without signs of fever are most often a symptom of the following pathological conditions:

hormonal imbalances; poor blood circulation; various injuries; neuroses; fright

Why do chills occur without fever?

It is important to know!

The cause of this pathological condition in women and men is a serious disruption in the functioning of any body system.

It is accompanied by weakness, general malaise, headache, nausea and even vomiting; the patient always wants to lie down to rest.

Chills without fever develop as a result of:

stressful situations; severe hypothermia; infectious disease; ARVI; pathologies of the endocrine system; sudden jumps in blood pressure.

If the cause of chills is hypothermia, at this moment the person experiences a sharp narrowing of the blood vessels. In this pathological situation, the patient’s condition is characterized by slow blood flow and the appearance of problems with metabolic processes.

The patient says that he feels cold, and the condition worsens at night, when the body sweats more. You can improve your well-being with the help of special warming procedures and drinking hot drinks.

Chills without fever during a cold, as mentioned above, are the body’s natural defense. What to do in this case? If a person is very cold, the following will help in this situation:

warm foot baths with added medicinal herbs; hot milk with butter and natural honey; herbal infusions from strawberries, raspberries and currants.

After any medical procedures the patient should immediately go to bed and try to sleep. The body rests best during sleep.

When the cause of chills is some infectious pathogen, the patient’s body will most likely develop symptoms characteristic of general intoxication:

nausea; vomit; headache; general weakness.

This condition is due to the fact that pathogenic microorganisms, penetrating the human body, begin to actively produce various toxins and poisons, which are the result of the vital activity of these bacteria. What to do in such a situation? Treatment of infectious diseases can only be prescribed by a doctor, so the patient must immediately contact a medical facility.

The reasons for the condition when there are chills, but no temperature, often lie in the fact that a person is constantly experiencing stress and nervous tension. Most often it is observed in women, since they experience it more deeply than men. In such a situation, the patient needs:

try to calm down; take a decoction of sedative herbs; drink tea with lemon or sour berry decoction (blackcurrant, blackberry).

People with disorders of the vegetative-vascular system (dystonia) typically experience chills at night, less often during the daytime. Impaired blood circulation leads to the fact that these patients are cold all the time. This is why their extremities are constantly cold.

The condition when there is chills, but no temperature, is explained by a violation of the tone in the blood vessels. Taking the following will help make the circulatory system normal, at least for a while. contrast shower, going to the sauna and other hardening activities. Hot procedures must be replaced by cold ones.

In order to remove toxins caused by stress from the body as quickly as possible, it is recommended for women and men to use a decoction of lingonberry leaves. However, in order to avoid such poisoning and its symptoms, which are headache, nausea and vomiting, you need to try to distance yourself from stressful situations and strive for a normal emotional environment. Nervous exhaustion poses a serious threat to the functioning of all internal organs.

Severe chills, in which there is no temperature, can occur in people susceptible to surges in blood pressure. During a hypertensive crisis, the state of the blood vessels changes, and this entails circulatory disorders.

When blood pressure returns to normal levels, the chills disappear completely.

Treatment of chills

If the cause of chills without fever lies in hypothermia, the patient will be helped by:

breathing exercises; warm bath; taking a sedative; hot drink.

When the causes of chills are infections or colds, foot steaming and hot baths can be used as therapeutic measures. After such activities, the patient’s body must be rubbed with a terry towel and the person put to bed.

If the patient has symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting, he loses his appetite. In this case, the person should be given as much drink as possible, to which lemon, raspberry jam and honey should be added. In this way, you can get rid of intoxication from the body.

In addition, the patient is prescribed diuretics. With the help of diuretics, toxins are removed from the body faster, which means that the symptoms of intoxication (headache, nausea and vomiting) also disappear faster.

To treat chills without fever, you should not resort to drinking alcohol. Such actions will only lead to a worsening of the condition.

Chills can be caused by endocrine diseases, so the patient needs to undergo appropriate hormone tests. If there is a deficiency of thyroid hormones, the doctor will prescribe replacement therapy.

Drugs containing hormones are often prescribed to women during menopause, and these drugs are intended specifically to eliminate the symptoms of menopause, which include chills without fever.

Periodic vascular spasms are typical of Rhine disease. In such a situation from unpleasant symptom Botox injections will help get rid of it. Patients who are familiar with chills should avoid hypothermia.

If the condition is provoked by vegetative-vascular dystonia, treatment should be comprehensive, it will help strengthen the body from the inside. The patient must give up bad habits, since smoking and alcohol impair blood circulation. Adequate sleep is the key to good blood circulation.

A condition where there are chills but no temperature may indicate the presence of various diseases in the body, most of which are very serious. Therefore, the cause of the pathology needs to be found out as quickly as possible.

And in the video in this article you can learn how to correctly diagnose the flu and not miss the onset of the disease.

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Chills are popularly called a sensation when the whole body begins to feel cold, which causes trembling to appear in it. This condition is described with the words “chills” or “freezing”, and this is not at all the same as just trembling, not accompanied by a feeling of cold.

When chills are accompanied by fever, everything seems clear: you have a cold. But what could be the reason that chills appeared without fever? This is what we will look at here.

What determines the formation of chills?

The feeling of cold is “dictated” to a person by the thermoregulatory center - special nerve cells located in the hypothalamus. When he feels that the body has cooled down, he “turns on” the sensation of chills - a defensive reaction, which consists of:

spasm of peripheral vessels (cutaneous, subcutaneous, localized in mucous membranes in contact with the external environment). Thus, by reducing the diameter of blood vessels, the body limits the evaporation of heat from the body; muscle tremors, which are needed in order to increase the amount of heat in the body. Trembling begins from the masticatory muscles, so the first sign of chills is described as “tooth not touching tooth”; reflexive desire to “curl up into a ball”; increased metabolism.

Based on the ability to maintain a constant temperature, the human body can be divided into 2 parts:

"Core" or "core". These are muscles and tissues that lie deeper than 2-2.5 cm from the surface of the skin, internal organs, and organs of the central nervous system. The task of the thermoregulatory center is to prevent the “core” from cooling below 35.5°C (the temperature of the “core” is judged by the readings of a thermometer in the armpit, under the tongue, in the rectum or external auditory canal). "Shell". This is the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles lying superficially (for example, on the face). The temperature of the “shell” partly depends on the temperature of the external environment. In addition, it is not the same everywhere: on the skin of the toes and hands it can be 25°C, on the chest, back and stomach covered with clothes - up to 35°C.

The thermoregulatory center scans the body temperature every second: even a change of 0.01 degrees does not escape it. He learns about temperature with the help of special nerve endings that record the temperature in the arteries that supply the brain with blood. And when the surrounding air becomes cold enough, the blood in the vessels of the “shell” also cools, and this is reflected in the temperature of the entire blood. Then the thermoregulatory center gives the “command” to constrict the vessels of the “shell”, activate muscle tremors and “turn on” non-contractile thermogenesis - energy production in brown adipose tissue (this is present in children and very rarely persists into adulthood).

There is the concept of a “set point” for thermoregulation. This is the level of body temperature to which the body will strive; When it is reached, thermoregulatory mechanisms are practically switched off and “rest”. If the actual body temperature is below this “set point”, heat production increases (through the work of muscles and brown fat) and heat transfer decreases (the vessels of the superficial tissues narrow). The “set point” can change in some brain diseases, and then the hypothalamus can trigger severe chills at normal body temperature, considering it low. Such diseases include brain tumors, craniopharyngomas, hemorrhages in the hypothalamus, Gaye-Wernicke disease, as well as neurosurgical operations.

The formation of the “setting point” is influenced by:

the amount of sodium and calcium in the hypothalamus, which depends on the concentration of these ions in the blood. The latter depends not only on how much calcium and sodium a person gets from food. What is important is how this balance will be affected by the endocrine organs and kidneys; balance in the work of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. If it changes (including under the influence of drugs), either heat production or heat transfer begins to increase; concentrations of norepinephrine and serotonin; psychogenic factors, stress; pyrogens are substances produced by pathogenic microbes that have entered the body.

Commands from the thermoregulatory center, which compared the actual blood temperature with the expected one, reach not only the nerves. They are partially carried out by hormones. These are thyroid hormones, which control metabolism, as well as adrenal hormones: adrenaline and norepinephrine, which control vascular tone. During pregnancy in the early stages, progesterone “connects” to them, which shifts the “set point” slightly upward to provide the embryo with the opportunity to develop.

Causes of chills without fever

Considering the mechanisms by which thermoregulation occurs, chills without fever may indicate the following diseases and conditions:

Hypothermia

This is the first reason to think about. If you are freezing indoors during an unheated season, or have spent a long time in cold air/cold water, then with the help of chills the body tries to raise body temperature to the “set point”.

Stress, fear

If you are very nervous or scared, this will upset the balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems in favor of the latter. In this case, the hypothalamus “commands” to increase body temperature. This phenomenon is temporary; cough, not accompanied by any pain.

Alcohol intoxication

Ethyl alcohol, found in various drinks, causes dilation of the “shell” vessels, as a result, heat evaporates from the surface of the body and it cools. A decrease in temperature leads to the development of symptoms of chills.

Taking medications

If you are constantly taking Phenothiazine, Phenobarbital, Barboval, Sibazon (Relanium, Valium), Gidazepam, Reserpine, Droperidol or Haloperidol, as well as an anti-nausea drug “Motilium” (“Domrid”, “Motorix”, which are based on domperidone), keep in mind: they dilate blood vessels. As a result, the body cools down and chills occur.

Severe illness

When a person was seriously ill for a long time or seriously, the body threw all its strength into curing him. This depleted him and worsened the functioning of the adrenal glands (a similar effect is observed during stress). Decreased production of adrenal hormones leads to a decrease in body temperature and, accordingly, activates the symptoms of chills. The body temperature is below normal.

Diseases accompanied by intoxication

These are mainly infectious diseases:

respiratory diseases; intestinal infections (what is called poisoning); pneumonia, especially atypical forms that occur with normal temperature; inflammation of the urinary tract; tuberculosis of any localization.

The fact that this disease is caused by one of the types of microbes can be assumed based on the fact that weakness suddenly appears, appetite disappears or decreases, and there may be slight dizziness and nausea (these are symptoms of intoxication).

The following symptoms will indicate the localization of the source of inflammation: with acute respiratory infections - a sore throat and runny nose, with pneumonia - cough, pain in the upper parts of the sternum, with inflammation of the urinary tract - lower back pain, difficulty or pain when urinating.

Food poisoning is usually accompanied by nausea, diarrhea (even once); it occurs after eating foods with cream, meat, dairy products, and dishes with mayonnaise.

Tuberculosis is characterized by weakness, night sweats, and cough. They may not be observed too much long time. Gradually, if the tuberculosis process changes its localization, the cough may disappear. Then other symptoms appear: headaches (with tuberculous meningitis) or lower back pain (if it is kidney tuberculosis), bone pain (with a bone process). Intoxication remains the same.

Of course, a feeling of chills with signs of intoxication in the absence of an increase in temperature can also manifest other diseases. So, in men, these may be exacerbations of chronic diseases of the testicles, epididymis, and prostate. But in this case, unpleasant sensations in the organs of the scrotum or lower abdomen, problems with urination and erection will come to the fore.

In women, chills without fever, accompanied by intoxication, may accompany inflammation of the breast tissue (mastitis) and lactostasis in nursing women. Breast cancer also manifests itself. But in most cases, pain in the mammary gland comes to the fore.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

This is an outdated diagnosis, which, however, is used to designate disorders of the autonomic nervous system without signs of damage to its structures. The diagnosis is usually made after the examination of a person presenting one or more complaints from the following, more “serious” diseases are excluded: hypertension, heart pathologies, diabetes mellitus, mental disorders.

The disease manifests itself:

pain in the heart; feeling of palpitations or irregular heartbeats; chills; feeling internal trembling; coldness of hands and feet; swelling; migrating pain in joints and muscles.

Increased blood pressure

Body chills without fever may be a sign of increased blood pressure. It is not a sign of illness if high blood pressure was measured while you are very nervous or have just worked out. But if chills are accompanied by pressure above 140/100 mm Hg. was noted at rest or during usual physical activity, you need to make an appointment with a therapist and begin to monitor this indicator. Before you see this doctor, stop drinking alcohol, strong black teas, coffee, and reduce your salt intake by half.

Hypothyroidism

This is the name of the condition when the thyroid gland begins to produce less hormones, which slows down metabolic processes in the body. This disease can develop in both women and men. Hypothyroidism can be a separate disease, but it can also be observed with inflammation of the thyroid gland (including autoimmune), as well as with its cancer.

In children, hypothyroidism is often congenital and life-threatening, causing a critical slowdown in the development of brain structures.

Manifestations of hypothyroidism can be noticed by the patient’s relatives only when hormones become too low. In children over 3 years of age and adults this is:

lethargy; swelling of the face, while it acquires a yellowish tint; slowing down of thought processes and attention; the skin becomes dry; increased chilliness; frequent headaches; fast fatiguability; loss of appetite; nausea; flatulence; constipation; in women - menstrual irregularities, usually characterized by delays and scanty periods.

Raynaud's syndrome

This is the name of a disease in which, in the cold or during nervous tension, a strong spasm of blood vessels is observed in the fingers or toes, in the chin, in the ear cartilages or in the tip of the nose. The attack is accompanied by successive changes: first, the affected tissues turn pale, then become violet-blue, then turn red.

Stomach diseases

Gastritis, stomach cancer can be manifested by feelings of malaise, chills, profuse sweating, dizziness. If the diseases are accompanied by the production of large amounts of hydrochloric acid, pain is felt in the abdomen, heartburn is often felt, and there may be diarrhea.

Hypopituitarism

This is called a decrease in the pituitary gland's production of its hormones. Chills without fever will develop when the function of the pituitary gland in relation to the adrenal cortex is reduced. The adrenal cortex produces little hormones - weakness, bad mood, chills associated with a decrease in blood pressure appear.

In a similar way, insufficient production of hormones from the adrenal cortex manifests itself when it is not the pituitary gland that is affected, but the adrenal cortex. This condition is called hypocortisolism. It may be caused by tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or amyloidosis of this part of the organ. Chronic hypocortisolism can become a complication of any operation or radiation therapy performed on organs of the retroperitoneal space (kidneys, pancreas). It can develop as a result of such rare diseases, such as adrenoleukodystrophy or adrenomyelodystrophy. In some cases, hypocortisolism develops for unknown reasons.

Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels

On initial stage this disease is manifested by weakness, increased fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Periodically there are attacks of insomnia or drowsiness during the day, headaches, and noise in one or two ears.

Diabetes

In diabetes mellitus, there is damage to the blood vessels of the skin, due to which they become unable to respond at normal speed to changes in ambient temperature. In addition, the vessels that supply the brain, including the thermoregulation center, undergo changes. Diabetes can impair nutrition in the hands and feet. Each of these can provoke the development of frequent chills.

Shock

This is the name for a condition in which the diameter of the vessels no longer corresponds to the amount of blood in them: either there is too little blood, or the vessels become too wide.

Shock can develop as a result of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock). In this case, symptoms appear 5-120 minutes (less often, more) after an insect bite, taking some kind of drug, or eating some kind of food. Less commonly, anaphylactic shock occurs after heat/cold exposure or after intense physical activity.

Shock can be caused by severe pain. It occurs as a result of trauma, injury, inflammation of any organ or structure.

If you have felt a sore throat, cough, nausea - any symptom indicating microbial inflammation for some time, and then it begins to get worse, you begin to feel chilly, your pulse quickens, this may be an infectious-toxic shock requiring emergency medical attention.

In case of excessive vomiting or diarrhea, chills without fever may mean the development of hypovolemic shock - from the loss of a large amount of fluid. If you feel chills during heavy periods, against the background of pain in any part of the abdomen, or during diarrhea with blood, this may be hemorrhagic shock - shock from blood loss.

At the slightest suspicion of shock, especially in a child, you need to urgently call an ambulance. There is no question of inviting local doctors or visiting them at the clinic.

Causes of chills in children

Often, chills in children occur due to acute respiratory infections, poisoning, and urinary tract diseases.

In adolescence, vegetative-vascular dystonia most often “raises its head,” but the symptom can be caused alcohol intoxication, taking drugs that dilate blood vessels. Teenage girls may shiver from freezing and stress. In some cases there is no need to discount possible pregnancy teenage girls.

These are the most common causes of cold sensations and muscle tremors in children. In general, chills in a child can be caused by any of the reasons (except atherosclerosis) that are mentioned for adults.

Selected causes of chills in women

In addition to the above reasons, a feeling of chills in women can be a manifestation of:

premenstrual period; migraine; increased sweating (hyperhidrosis), the causes of which can be diseases of the sweat glands, endocrine diseases, diseases of internal organs, and tuberculosis.

In all these cases, chills can occur at any time of the day. Appearing at night in women, it is more characteristic of hypothyroidism than of other conditions.

During pregnancy

Chills without fever during pregnancy can occur due to any of the reasons listed above. Thus, a pregnant woman may become nervous, develop ARVI, and worsen vegetative-vascular dystonia and diabetes mellitus. The development of any type of shock is also possible.

appeared only in the first weeks of pregnancy; not accompanied by abdominal pain, a feeling of panic, cough, diarrhea; does not occur simultaneously with the release of blood from the genital tract (even if this is the day on which menstruation previously occurred).

The cause of chills during pregnancy can also be a spontaneous miscarriage. It is accompanied by cramping pain in the abdomen and bleeding from the vagina.

Another reason for the feeling of cold and trembling, characteristic only of pregnancy, is frozen pregnancy. In this case, chills are a sign of intoxication resulting from the absorption of tissues of the dead fetus into the blood. In addition to chills, the condition is often accompanied by nausea, weakness, and body aches.

In the second half of pregnancy, chills may be accompanied by an increase in blood pressure. This means that a complication called “preeclampsia” has developed and requires treatment.

During menopause

The next cause of chills, which is typical only for women, but not pregnant women, is hormonal changes during menopause. You can think about this if a woman is over 40 years old; in addition to chills, there are hot flashes, increased sweating, and insomnia. Such symptoms can bother you during the day and wake you up at night.

During feeding

Causes of chills after childbirth:

the same as before pregnancy; lactostasis: in this case, you can feel painful lumps in your breasts that need to be expressed to improve your condition.

Often, after childbirth, various endocrine diseases “raise their heads.” In most cases, this is hypothyroidism, which causes chills at night, or diabetes mellitus. If there was heavy bleeding in the postpartum period, constant freezing may indicate damage to the pituitary gland, leading to hypopituitarism.

Therefore, if a nursing mother is not frozen or nervous, no lumps or soreness are felt in her breasts, and her nipples are not injured, she needs to donate blood for glucose levels, TSH and free hormone T4. If there are no abnormalities in these tests, we recommend visiting an endocrinologist and neurologist for further examination.

Possible causes of chills depending on accompanying symptoms

If you have nausea and chills, it may be:

gastritis; food poisoning; any of the diseases that cause intoxication, including tuberculosis; stomach cancer; hypothyroidism; any of the shocks; early stages of pregnancy.

If the chills are constant, then this is most likely the manifestation of diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Headache and chills are typical for:

overwork; prolonged fasting; lack of sleep; vegetative-vascular dystonia; stress; ARVI, pneumonia and other diseases with intoxication, including helminthic diseases; a brain tumor.

If there are aches and chills, this may indicate various diseases and states like:

food poisoning; thyroid diseases; tumors of any location; most infectious diseases; diabetes; pneumonia; illnesses urinary system(mainly pyelonephritis); fibromyalgia; panic attacks.

When a runny nose and chills are described, it is either ARVI (not the flu, which always occurs with a high temperature), or, which is less common, allergic reaction on pollen, particles of animal saliva remaining on their fur, drugs or household chemicals produced in the form of an aerosol.

If your condition can be described as “ cold chills", then most likely you have excessive sweating due to various reasons. It can also be endarteritis of the lower extremities, when the nutrition of the legs is disrupted, and this causes the whole body to freeze.

What to do if you have chills

The first thing to do when you have a chill is to wrap yourself up and warm your hands in warm water. If symptoms resemble shock, call " Ambulance“, you don’t need to drink hot tea before this, so as not to aggravate your condition.

In all other cases, you can drink hot tea with raspberries or lingonberries, cover yourself with a blanket and warm your feet in warm water. A visit to the doctor is mandatory.

If chills are observed in a child under 3 years of age (and especially under one year), calling an ambulance and hospitalization are mandatory.

5

Health 02/20/2018

Dear readers, you all know the feeling of chills when it freezes and goosebumps appear on your body. In this case, an unpleasant ache in the joints usually occurs. Most often, the causes of chills are commonplace - colds. But why do many people feel chills even in a healthy state? With what it can be connected?

Constant chills are a reason to consult a doctor. It is necessary to understand possible reasons with the help of a specialist. But first, read the information in this article. A doctor of the highest category, Evgeniya Nabrodova, will tell you what to do if you have a chill and how dangerous it is for your health. I give her the floor.

Hello, readers of Irina's blog! Chills are a feeling of cold, which is accompanied by trembling and the appearance of goosebumps. An increase in body temperature is also possible. When it decreases, the severe chill goes away. But this happens with infections when a person is sick. And many people, especially women, develop chills without fever and without signs of illness. Let's look at the reasons for periodic chilling.

Chills at fever can occur in adults and children. This condition is understandable: hyperthermia increases the body’s heat production and reduces its release to the external environment. This is what causes the feeling of chills. Usually, after taking antipyretics, chilling disappears.

Parents are often faced with the fact that their child has severe chills with a fever and they do not know what to do to combat severe trembling, which can result in convulsions and even hallucinations. We often hear that lowering the temperature below 38.5°C is not recommended. But a one-size-fits-all approach is not always applicable, especially for children.

If a child has chills due to infectious diseases and high fever, if the baby is shaking, give him antipyretics as soon as possible or call doctors to administer a lytic mixture.

Chills at fever in adults are much easier than in children. High fever is an indication for the use of antipyretics. But such drugs act symptomatically. They do not replace medications aimed at combating viruses and infectious pathogens.

If high fever and chills do not disappear during treatment, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible. This sign may indicate a secondary infection. There are often cases when a banal acute respiratory infection is complicated by pneumonia, sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, and delay in dealing with these diseases can cost you your health and even your life.

Mild chilling is actually a concern for many people. It happens that you are at home on the weekend, when the room temperature is constant, and suddenly it starts to “freeze” a little. The main cause of chills without fever in women is the functioning of the nervous system. If you are naturally impulsive or, due to various reasons, are in a state of nervous overstrain, slight chilling appears.

Other causes of chills without fever:

• physical or psycho-emotional fatigue;
• decreased blood pressure and hemoglobin;
• long break between meals, prolonged hunger;
• chronic fatigue syndrome;
• menopausal changes in the body;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• viral liver diseases, alcoholic and fatty cirrhosis;
• diseases of the thyroid gland and other endocrine pathologies;
• circulatory disorders.

There are certain diseases and conditions that reduce the production of heat in the body, which leads to the feeling of constant chills without fever. If chilling becomes constant, be sure to consult a doctor and get examined.

What to do if you have constant chills

So, what to do if you have a chill? First of all, you need to see a therapist. This universal specialist has knowledge from various fields of medicine and will be able to suspect the development of certain diseases, and most importantly, he will give directions for tests. But if necessary, diagnostics today can be done for a fee and without first consulting a doctor.

Thyroid examination

The thyroid gland is primarily responsible for the process of thermoregulation in our body. It needs to be checked first. In recent years, autoimmune thyroiditis has often been detected, which is accompanied by the production of antibodies and destruction of thyroid cells. As a result, the iron can no longer cope with the main hormonal function and this is partly reflected in the process of thermoregulation.

To determine the causes of severe chills without fever, you must first donate blood for triiodothyronine (T3), a hormone that is responsible for energy metabolism. When it decreases below 1 nmol/l, it is recommended to further examine the thyroid gland and find out the causes of hormonal imbalance.

Thyroiditis occurs without symptoms for a long time. The development of the disease can be suspected not only by constant chills with or without fever, but also by other signs:

• cardiopalmus;
• increased sweating;
• trembling in the limbs;
• increased fatigue and weakness;
• sleep disorders;
• weight loss.

If, in addition to chills, there are other suspicious manifestations, get tested for thyroid hormones. If thyroiditis is detected, hormonal correction will be required.

Work is responsible for heat transfer in the body circulatory system. If you suffer from severe chills without fever, the causes of this disorder in women and men may be associated with anemia and low hemoglobin. Oxygen is vital, as it is responsible for energy processes and heat production. The main carrier of oxygen is hemoglobin. When it decreases, energy exchange slows down, and the person begins to constantly freeze.

• pale skin;
• fast fatiguability;
• the appearance of shortness of breath even with a slight increase in physical activity;
• weakness;
• dizziness, cases of loss of consciousness;
• deterioration of the condition of the skin, hair and nails.

The risk of a decrease in hemoglobin is increased in people who have chronic gastrointestinal diseases, in particular, impaired intestinal microflora, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers. Anemia is also often detected in pregnant women, and with low hemoglobin, the likelihood of oxygen starvation fetus

Anemic conditions in childhood are quite dangerous. If your child has chills without fever, be sure to make an appointment with your pediatrician and have your baby donate blood for hemoglobin. This analysis is the simplest and most accessible, and in just a few hours you will be able to find out whether the baby has anemia or is shivering for other reasons.

Blog articles to help you:

I suggest watching a video about the main causes of constant chills. Specialists help to understand the problem from a medical point of view.

Chills and menopause

The feeling of chills is familiar to many men and women who are on the verge of menopause. Due to hormonal changes in the body, the process of thermoregulation changes. The result is periodic chilling. - the main cause of chills without fever in men and women. In this case, other symptoms usually occur: increased sweating, hot flashes, a feeling of heat that appears mainly at night, irritability, and a severe decrease in performance.

Timely hormonal correction helps solve the problem. But under no circumstances prescribe hormones without prior diagnosis and consultation with a specialist.

With the onset of spring, many people rush to enjoy the warmth of the sun and warm up properly in the sun. But excessive insolation leads not only to burns, but also to prolonged chills. Conditions that are accompanied by the appearance of blisters and severe redness, dizziness, severe weakness. With such symptoms, the help of a specialist is required!

Minor burns are usually treated at home. First of all, you need to hide from direct sunlight. You need to drink as much fluid as possible to stop dehydration and smooth out the manifestations of intoxication in the body. When blisters are opened, the skin must be disinfected. It can be treated with alcohol or furatsilin solution. Afterwards, the areas with blisters are covered with sterile material that allows air to pass through.

Oil and any fatty bases should not be used on the first day after sunburn. It is better to treat the tissues with indomethacin ointment and use anti-inflammatory painkillers internally. Bepanten helps well with burns.

If you plan to spend a long time at the beach, stay in the shade rather than in direct sunlight. And be sure to use sunscreen cosmetics.

Chills during pregnancy

Chills during early pregnancy are familiar to most women. I would immediately like to reassure you: chilling in this position is considered normal if there are no signs of infections or exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Chills during pregnancy are associated with an increase in the production of progesterone, the main hormone that is responsible for the safety of the unborn child and its preservation in the womb. Hormonal changes change the functioning of the thermoregulation center, causing the woman to feel very chilly.

Chills during pregnancy are so common that many have begun to determine the sex of the child by this sign. It is believed that when a woman has severe chills, she gives birth to girls. Have you noticed such a connection? Personally, I was very chilled with my first child, and it was actually a girl. But I think this is just a sign.

Sometimes chills in a pregnant woman are not associated with physiological changes. And in this case, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Any infections and intoxications, especially on early, can cause miscarriage and fading of pregnancy.

When is chills during pregnancy dangerous?

Every pregnant woman should beware of infections, to which she, alas, is prone due to decreased activity immune system. This mechanism allows you to maintain pregnancy. But chills do not always indicate hormonal changes in the body. Sometimes this sign signals the development of serious disorders in the body of the expectant mother.

Watch out for the following symptoms:

• severe chills, combined with nausea and uncontrollable vomiting;
• increased body temperature;
• bowel dysfunction (diarrhea or constipation);
• rare fetal movements;
• increased blood pressure;
• increased heart rate, shortness of breath;
• the appearance of pronounced edema.

Chills in combination with nausea, vomiting and swelling may indicate a pathological course of toxicosis or the development of gestosis (later). If the woman is not helped, the child may die. Toxicosis and gestosis of pregnancy can result in life-threatening complications (preeclampsia, eclampsia). Sometimes the gynecologist insists on hospitalization, and you should not refuse this. In the hospital, doctors will be able to determine exactly what is causing the persistent chills and other associated symptoms.