Psychogenic fever not a well-studied ailment

Have you been feeling run down and fatigued more than usual? Do you have certain flu like symptoms but don't actually have a cold or flu? Do you have a persistent cough that won't go away even after you've seen a number of different doctors and taken different medication? Perhaps even plagued with fever like symptoms causing you to feel even more poorly? According to Dr. Takakazu Oka, of the Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, you may be affected by 'Psychogenic Fever', which is s a stress-related psychosomatic condition that manifests itself in a high body temperature caused by experiencing emotional events or long-lasting stress. From issues we face at home, work, amongst family and friends, society or images we view on the news all put pressure on our coping mechanism system and tolerance levels, wearing us down and eventually resulting in a wide range health related ailment caused by stress, such as psychogenic fever.
'While this condition is known in the literature, only a few doctors in the world study it and treat patients with psychogenic fevers,' says Professor Andrej Romanovsky, of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Arizona, 'this is why we have invited Dr. Oka to share his unique experience.' The number of affected patients is unknown because there hasn't been adequate studies conducted to better understand this condition. Still Dr. Oka explains that Psychogenic Fever is relatively widespread according to his case reports and clinical practice, especially amongst Japanese students due to academic stress. One of the main issues is that many doctors don't fully understand how stress can affect body temperature so patients with psychogenic fever are being misdiagnosed because their symptoms are unclear.
The difference between fever caused by stress and a cold as described by Dr Oka is that, 'in a cold, inflammation occurs due to viral infection. This inflammation becomes a signal for the brain to tell the sympathetic nerves and muscles to increase body temperature. The increased temperature is the body's response to help fight off viruses. In a stressful situation of 'fight or flight,' the body temperature also increases because sympathetic nerve activity increases to cope with stress. Both stress and a cold are similar in that they increase body temperature. However, certain body chemicals are not involved in stress-induced fever, so hospital blood tests will not show any abnormalities (inflammatory response). Therefore, stress-induced fever does not lower when a person takes cold medications or fever-reducing medications which suppress inflammation.'
In a fever from stress, continuing hyperthermia means that the body is consuming more energy than normal to manage the increase in body temperature. Therefore, activities that are normally easy can feel quite difficult during this period.
Therefore try to:
> slow your daily pace down
> get plenty of sleep
> take frequent breaks
> prioritise tasks and don't over exert yourself
> manage the cognitive chaos by having more positive and productive thoughts rather than negative and stressed out ones
> other than sleep, get some rest and relaxation throughout the day as well
> speak to friends or family about what may be bothering you
> try not to take on new challenges or go to unfamiliar places during this time
Treatments for psychogenic fever may include:
> lifestyle changes
> adjustments to one's environment
> medication
> relaxation techniques
> psychotherapy
> treatments of coexisting ailments
Dr. Oka further describes that the complaints from patients are of the fever itself, along with the symptoms from the high temperature, symptoms from the stress, plus the symptoms from the psychiatric diseases that the patient may suffer from. 'High body temperature is just one of the symptoms induced or exacerbated by stress,' Dr. Oka says, 'Patients ask for the treatment of fever not just their temperature be normalized, but all symptoms to be treated.'
Dr. Oka and his team are working vigorously to try and better understand 'psychogenic fever' or 'functional hyperthermia' and he is confident that a specific and more suitable treatment will be available in the near future. He explains that much of the confusion is, 'because even their doctors did not believe the fever is caused by or related with psychological stress until recent animal studies enable the doctors to be aware of this pathophysiology.'
Regardless of how stressful situations are, it's very important to constantly evaluate those variables, especially those we can control, in order to eradicate them from our lives, before they affect our physiology and psychological well-being.
Dr Samineh I. Shaheem is an assistant professor of psychology, learning & development specialist and the owner of Life Clubs UAE. Please forward your thoughts/ suggestions for future articles to OutOfMindContact@gmail.com