Chills
Definition
Underlying Cause
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Chills Underlying Cause
Chills may be caused by:
Fever
:
When a
fever
"breaks", the temperature drops, and the patient will often experience chills.
Bacterial infections:
More violent
shaking
chills, known as rigors, can be a sign of an underlying streptococcal infection, such as
pneumonia
.
Malaria
:
This parasitic blood infection often causes
shaking
chills, sweats, and
high fever
.
Cold intolerance:
An abnormal intolerance to cold can be due to
hypothyroidism
Anxiety
:
Some
anxiety disorders
may cause
shaking
chills
Drug side effect
Hypothermia
:
As the body temperature drops,
shaking
ensues. This is the body's attempt to raise the core temperature.
Hot flashes
:
Commonly associated with
menopause
,
hot flashes
often progress to chills as the
hot flash
resolves.
Drug withdrawal
:
Causes
shaking
chills with
anxiety
Alcohol withdrawal
:
Causes
shaking
chills with
anxiety
Continue to
Chills Trusted Sites
Related Conditions
Fever in adults
Fever in children
Fever in infants
Menopause
Flu Checkup
Pneumonia Checkup
Bronchitis Checkup
Sinusitis Checkup
Strep Throat Checkup
Chills
Fever
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Last Updated: Aug 13, 2008
References
Authors:
Stephen J. Schueler, MD
;
John H. Beckett, MD
;
D. Scott Gettings, MD
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Chills References:
Batsis JA, Uslan DZ, Baddour LM. 70-year-old man with fever, shaking chills, and weakness. Mayo Clin Proc. 2005 Sep;80(9):1209-12.
Call SA, Vollenweider MA, Hornung CA, Simel DL, McKinney WP. Does this patient have influenza? JAMA. 2005 Feb 23;293(8):987-97.
Lutfiyya MN, Henley E, Chang LF, Reyburn SW. Diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Am Fam Physician. 2006 Feb 1;73(3):442-50.
