Chills are a sensation of cold accompanied by intense muscle trembling and goosebumps. The disorder can be caused by hypothermia, stressful situations, fever. Chilling occurs with inflammation, diseases of the endocrine system, violation of autonomic regulation. To determine the cause of persistent chills, laboratory tests, sonography, x-ray methods, and a neurological examination are performed. To stop unpleasant symptoms, it is necessary to eliminate the provoking factor or prescribe complex therapy for the underlying pathology.
Chills without temperature most often occur under the influence of an external cause - in the cold season or when clothing does not match the weather. Signs increase gradually: first, a person feels cold and a desire to warm up, then a downward shiver of small muscles begins - from the chewing muscles and the shoulder girdle to the muscle groups of the lower extremities. The skin turns pale. Short-term symptoms of chills are observed when a cold wind blows. Manifestations disappear on their own after warming. With severe hypothermia, medical attention is required.
With emotional stress, adrenaline is released in excess, which causes spasm of skin vessels and muscle tremors. A short-term feeling of tension and trembling of the muscles, combined with a feeling of intense cold and excessive sweating, is noted with fright and fear. In women, such attacks of chills of a psychogenic cause without temperature are more common, due to the lability of the nervous system. Unpleasant symptoms disappear after the normalization of the emotional state. If the symptoms bother you often and even more so constantly, you should visit a doctor.
Menopause and menopause are the most common causes of chills in females. The presence of a symptom is due to sharp changes in the level of estrogen and progesterone, which disrupt the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Patients report alternating periods of cold and trembling in the body with flushes of heat and flushing of the face. Chills without fever in women are observed in the premenstrual period and on the first day of menstruation, which is associated with fluctuations in estrogen and blood loss.
The disorder worries pregnant women, starting from the first trimester, when the secretion of sex hormones changes, the synthesis of tropic hormones in the anterior pituitary gland increases. Symptoms of chills appear at any time of the day, last a short time and do not significantly disturb the general well-being. In the second and third trimesters, the frequency of discomfort decreases. If a prolonged severe chill develops, the general condition steadily worsens, urgent medical attention is needed.
Muscle tremors and a strong feeling of cold are noted in the first period of fever (with a cold, SARS or non-infectious pathology), when the body temperature is just beginning to rise. The symptom is associated with centralization of blood circulation and spasm of peripheral vessels. Chills at a temperature always develop, the severity of disorders depends on the rate of onset of fever and the cause that caused the symptoms. A person feels a sharp cold, he begins to shake, while the skin turns pale, the area of \u200b\u200bthe nasolabial triangle becomes cyanotic (bluish).
Chills are accompanied by headache, severe weakness, malaise. To keep warm, patients cover themselves with several blankets. When the temperature reaches its maximum, which indicates the transition of fever to the second period, the feeling of cold and trembling disappear, the skin becomes bright pink. Manifestations of chills are more common in adults, since in children the temperature often rises sharply without a prodromal period. Chilling is sometimes possible with a rapid (critical) decrease in temperature to a normal level.
Frequent causes of chills at night are sluggish infectious or somatic inflammatory diseases. The development of the disorder is caused by chronic intoxication of the body, a change in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. In men, the main cause of chills without fever is tuberculosis of the lungs or lymph nodes. With this infection, patients wake up in the middle of the night from malaise and feeling cold, take another blanket to keep warm. Also characterized by increased sweating, pronounced pallor of the skin. Chills are caused by other reasons:
Purulent inflammation of any localization causes sharp, amazing chills, when a person shakes almost continuously, the skin becomes pale, a marble pattern is formed on the distal extremities due to insufficient filling of blood vessels and a decrease in blood pressure. Symptoms appear against the background of hectic or persistent high fever, profuse sweats are typical as a result of massive intoxication of the body. The most common purulent causes that cause chills are:
Violation of the coordinated work of the sympathetic and parasympathetic link of autonomic regulation, as the cause of the appearance of chills without temperature, is noted quite often, especially in young people against the background of excitement and emotional upheaval. The symptom is caused by a narrowing of the lumen of peripheral vessels and a decrease in blood flow in the skin, which is perceived by the body as severe cold. Therefore, with VVD, the main symptoms of chills occur: fine muscle tremors, especially in the face, shoulder girdle - teeth begin to “knock”, the skin turns pale and becomes covered with characteristic pimples.
Common causes of chills without fever, which are more common in women, are thyroid disorders. The body secretes the hormone thyroxine, which is responsible for thermoregulation: with its lack, the basal metabolism slows down, and the body temperature decreases. The body reacts to such changes with contractile thermogenesis - generalized trembling of all muscle groups. The skin at the same time looks very pale and dry, it seems cold to the touch. The sudden onset of chills and excessive sweating are the first signs of hypoglycemia in diabetes mellitus.
The local therapist is engaged in finding out the causes of chills with or without temperature, who draws up a plan for the initial examination and, if necessary, directs the patient for a consultation with other specialists. Diagnostic search involves the exclusion of the most common etiological factors of chilling, for which instrumental and laboratory studies are used. The most informative methods are:
If the cause of severe chills without fever is general hypothermia, you need to take the person to a warm room as soon as possible, give hot tea, cover with several blankets or prepare a warm bath. Chilling caused by stress passes on its own after the resolution of the traumatic situation, and tea with mint, which has a sedative effect, also helps to calm down. If chills develop for no apparent reason, combined with a deterioration in well-being, general malaise, you should consult a doctor.
Hot tea helps keep you warm
Medical tactics depend on the etiological factor of discomfort and the general condition of the patient. With a feeling of chills without an increase in temperature, etiotropic treatment is indicated to eliminate the underlying disease. If the symptomatology occurs against the background of a high fever, you first need to lower the temperature. For colds, physiotherapeutic methods of treatment are successfully used: gargling, washing the nose, electrophoresis and local electromagnetic effects. The drug regimen may include: