chills

and Sabine Schrör, medical journalist

Hanna Rutkowski is a freelance writer for the medical team.

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Sabine Schrör is a freelance writer for the medical team. She studied business administration and public relations in Cologne. As a freelance editor, she has been at home in a wide variety of industries for more than 15 years. Health is one of her favorite subjects.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Many people are familiar with chills (med .: Febris undularis) in febrile infectious diseases. The body reacts to the penetration of pathogens such as viruses and bacteria with an increase in temperature as a defense measure. With the fever, there is often a feeling of cold that is accompanied by sometimes violent muscle tremors. This tremor makes the body temperature rise faster. Read everything you need to know about the phenomenon of chills here.

Brief overview

What is chills? Muscle tremors combined with chills. Often occurs in bursts as part of febrile infections: muscle tremors generate heat and thus increase body temperature. This is a better way to fight pathogens.
Causes: chills with fever e.g. cold, flu, pneumonia, scarlet fever, erysipelas, inflammation of the kidney pelvis, blood poisoning (sepsis), legionnaires' disease, tropical diseases (such as malaria, yellow fever). With chills without fever e.g. hypothermia, sunstroke / heat stroke, withdrawal symptoms, mental illness, acute glaucoma, fungal poisoning, hyperthyroidism.
What to do? If the patient has a fever, cover the patient well, allow him to drink a lot, possibly measures to lower the fever (such as calf wraps). In case of heat stroke or sunstroke: get out of the sun, put cool compresses for your head, upper body and head up. In case of hypothermia: slowly warm the affected person from the torso (e.g. with warm, damp cloths on the stomach).
When to the doctor If there are signs of the flu or other illness requiring treatment, with or without a fever. If heat stroke, sunstroke, tropical diseases, hypothermia are suspected. A common cold, on the other hand, is easy to cure yourself.

Chills: definition and causes

Chills are when you suddenly become extremely cold and the muscles all over your body are trembling. This is usually a harbinger of a fever. The phenomenon can also occur without a fever. The causes of chills are many. From the classic cold to the flu, pneumonia, scarlet fever or inflammation of the kidneys to blood poisoning, a wide variety of diseases can be associated with chills. Without a fever, chills can occur, for example, with hypothermia, sunstroke or mushroom poisoning.

What is the function of chills?

Chills (Febris undularis) often heralds a fever. The immune system is particularly active in the case of infections with bacteria, parasites, viruses or fungi by releasing fever-inducing pyrogens. These stimulate the heat regulation center in the brain to increase the body temperature, because then certain defense mechanisms can function better. If the body temperature rises to more than 38 degrees Celsius, one speaks of a fever.

To quickly increase the temperature, the muscles begin to tremble - chills develop. These are simply rapid contractions of large skeletal muscles, such as the thighs, the jaw or the back. Often, teeth chatter as the lower jaw is only attached relatively loosely. The trembling of the muscles creates heat so that the body temperature rises effectively and quickly. In addition, the affected areas of the body are supplied with more blood and thus warmed. Muscle tremors are usually accompanied by chills, hence the name chills.

In general, chills cannot be manipulated at will. The tremors come on in bursts, last for several minutes and then disappear again. Often those affected sleep deeply afterwards, because the muscle tremors are physically very strenuous, especially in a state weakened by illness.

What are the causes of chills?

Feverish illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites usually trigger chills. In children, harmless infections are often enough to raise the temperature and trigger chills.

In addition, tumors and autoimmune diseases can cause fever and thus chills.

Important causes of involuntary muscle tremors and chills are for example:

Influenza and cold: A general feeling of illness, headache and body aches as well as fever with chills are among the typical symptoms of these viral infections.
Pneumonia: In addition to coughing and sputum and chest pain, a high fever with chills is typical in pneumonia.
Scarlet fever (Scarlatina): The disease is usually accompanied by chills and a high fever, sore throat and tonsillitis, "raspberry tongue" and a typical rash. Abdominal pain and vomiting are also possible.
Erysipelas: The bacterial pathogen causing scarlet fever can also trigger other diseases, including erysipelas - an acute inflammation of the skin. Symptoms are extensive reddening and painful swelling of the affected skin as well as chills and high fever.
Inflammation of the kidney pelvis (pyelonephritis): Possible signs are high fever and chills, severe flank pain, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes blood appears in the urine as well.
Blood poisoning (sepsis): This is when an initially localized infection spreads through the bloodstream throughout the body. Signs of sepsis include a high fever and chills, usually combined with a racing heart and shortness of breath. There is an acute danger to life for the person concerned!
Tropical-subtropical infections: Chills with fever can occur with malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis, typhus, typhoid, anthrax and plague.
Hypothermia: The organism reacts to hypothermia with chills in order to raise the temperature quickly. In addition, vessels in the periphery of the body (limbs) narrow so that less heat escapes through the skin - cold limbs and bluish-pale skin are signs of this.
Sunstroke / heat stroke: With sunstroke (heat build-up in the head as a result of too much sun), a red, hot head, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, restlessness and sometimes a slight fever and chills occur. A heat stroke causes severe overheating of the entire body - the body temperature rises to over 40 degrees here.
Withdrawal symptoms: Stopping addictive substances such as certain medications, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal drugs can trigger physical and psychological symptoms, often including chills.
Mental illness: So-called hyperkinetic disorders like ADHD can cause chills. Anxiety disorders are also among the mental illnesses that cause muscle tremors.
Acute glaucoma: In the event of a glaucoma attack, the intraocular pressure suddenly increases rapidly. Possible signs of this are acute headaches, loss of vision, noticeable hardening of the eyeball, nausea, vomiting and chills. The patient needs medical help immediately!
Mushroom Poisoning: Symptoms of mushroom poisoning depend on the type of mushroom and the amount consumed. Chills are possible signs, as well as muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, drop in blood pressure and impaired consciousness.
Hyperthyroidism: The excess of thyroid hormones can trigger muscle tremors such as chills in those affected.

Chills: what to do

Tips for chills as a result of the onset of a fever are, for example:

Warmth: With warm blankets, a warm footbath or a warm bath, the involuntary muscle tremors that ultimately lead to a fever can be stopped. Thanks to the heat supplied from the outside, the body itself has to work less to increase the temperature.
Hot tea: Linden blossom tea is very suitable as a home remedy for a fever because it has a warming and sweat-inducing effect. A tea made from elderflower or rose hip peel also help the body to generate heat.
Drink a lot: If you have a fever and feverish chills, the following always applies: drink a lot! The rule of thumb: drink half a liter of liquid for every additional degree of body temperature.

On the other hand, if the chills are caused by sunstroke, the main thing to do is to cool down. These home remedies and tips will help:

Shadow place: The person concerned has to get out of the sun immediately to a cool, shady place as possible. It is best to sit there (head and upper body should be elevated).
Cool head: Cold, moist compresses or cool yoghurt compresses on the forehead, head or neck reduce the temperature.

Chills: when do you need to see a doctor?

You do not need to see a doctor immediately every time you have a fit of chills. If the chills are due to a common cold, it usually goes away on its own and can be relieved yourself if necessary. However, if you suspect real flu or other serious illness, you should consult your family doctor to initiate the appropriate treatment for the underlying illness.

You should also seek medical advice if you experience unusually severe or prolonged chills. Even if the muscle tremors appear for no apparent reason, with no other symptoms of infection, you should see a doctor.

In the event of severe sunstroke or heat stroke, you should call the emergency doctor immediately! The same applies to signs of a glaucoma attack or blood poisoning (sepsis).

If you develop symptoms such as chills and fever during or after a stay in tropical-subtropical regions, you should also see a doctor (e.g. a tropical medicine doctor) immediately.

Chills: what does the doctor do?

First, the doctor collects your medical history (anamnesis). Among other things, he asks about the type, severity and course of your symptoms as well as any underlying diseases (such as hyperthyroidism, autoimmune diseases or tumors). Information about addictions and recent trips to warm regions is also important. Sometimes this information is enough for the doctor to narrow down the cause of your chills.

During the subsequent physical examination, the doctor will, among other things, measure your temperature, feel your lymph nodes for swelling and listen to your lungs. Often it can be said afterwards what triggers the chills.

However, if the cause of the chills is still unknown, blood tests can help. The measured values can, for example, indicate inflammation in the body and invasive pathogens. Sometimes imaging procedures such as ultrasound or X-ray examinations (e.g. of the chest) are also useful.

Treatment for chills

Treatment for chills depends on the cause. For example, if you have chills as a result of an infection, this is treated with appropriate measures. For example, the doctor can prescribe antibiotics for a bacterial infectious disease. Antipyretic medication and home remedies such as leg wraps can be used against a high fever. This also helps against the chills. Muscle tremors can also be brought under control with other home remedies such as hot tea and warmth.

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