Q: I am 37 years old female and want to know for how many days viral fever remains active? If ferritin component in blood is low, then also can fever occur? My ferritin level is 88. What are its effects and how it is treated?

A:The term viral fever refers to a broad spectrum of clinical states where viral infections are associated with a rise in body temperature and includes a wide variety of viruses. Viral infections usually present with generalised symptoms, but may target specific organs with some have specific features, which help in identifying them. The pattern of fever may be low grade or high grade and remittent and may last from a few days to several weeks. It is usually accompanied with inflammation of the throat, a running or blocked nose, headache, redness of the eyes, cough, muscle and joint pains and sometimes a skin rash. Most infections are self-limited and investigations are usually done to exclude a bacterial cause rather than confirm a viral aetiology. Serum ferritin measures the amount of storage iron in the body and the test is done as a part of anaemia investigation, specifically to diagnose iron deficiency anaemia. It may also be done if iron overload is suspected. There is no relation between serum ferritin levels and fever except the fact that serum ferritin levels get elevated in any inflammatory state. Ferritin levels depend on patient’s age, gender, method of testing, sample population etc., so each laboratory has to determine its own reference value.