Why is there an evening rise of body temperature in tuberculosis?
Answer: Because endogenous corticosteroid have their levels low in the evening. Cortisol bursts are least frequent in the evening. And steroids are anti-inflammatory!
Why not in all infections? What's special about tuberculosis?
We don't know the answer to this question. If you do, please tell us!
This answer was submitted to us by an awesomite: Increased Cortisol Cortisone Ratio in Acute Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Recent research works regarding TB has revealed that there is increased cortisol level in TB.
Cortisol & IL-1 interaction: At high level cortisol has negative feedback effect on IL-1.
Conclusion: In TB, cytokines, specifically, IL-1 level is markedly increase that leads to fever, but as cortisol level is also high than normal it counteract the action of IL-1 & as a result fever remains low grade.
Due to exaggerated diurnal variation,cortisol effect is very high in late night while very less in evening onwards that leads to evening rise of temperature & night sweating. Normal diurnal variation of body temperature also play a role to make this change more prominent.
Source: http://www.doctorshangout.com/m/blogpost?id=2002836%3ABlogPost%3A423964
Even malarial paroxysms occur in the evening, don't they?
Answer: Yep. Malarial paroxysms have a different reasons. Steroids ain't responsible.
What's the reason for malarial paroxysms then?
Answer: It depends when the entire cycle of trophozoites burst from RBC's.
Here's from one of the members personal experience:
I have had malaria.. I had paroxysms at late night.
cool !
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
DeleteCan we conclude that evening raise of temperature is due to tb when malaria is negative??
ReplyDelete