Having a fever is not pleasant, but...
2006/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
All mammals have a fever when they are very sick and it seems that cold-blooded animals also look for heat when they get sick. Somehow, it seems that heat promotes the fight against microorganisms. How?
Several researchers have studied the incidence of fever in the lymphocyte movement and have published the results of the study in the journal Nature Immunology. According to them, the fever increases blood flow, causing more lymphocytes to enter than before. In fact, lymphocytes fight off pathogens in the nodes, but not all blood-bound lymphocytes enter the nodes. However, the higher the blood flow, the more lymphocytes can penetrate.
But that's not all. To access the lymph nodes, lymphocytes attach to molecules in the tissue of the nodes. Well, researchers have shown that these molecules that open the door increase due to fever.
Research has helped understand why fever can be beneficial. In addition, researchers believe it may be useful for new treatments against infections and cancers.
