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Fever. Can Crohn's cause fever?

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Posted 2/19/2008 2:48 AM (GMT 0)

I started taking Sulfasalazine about a week ago.  Saturday night I ate some coleslaw (I know I shouldn't have but I was week.)  and I got really bad abdominal pain all that night. Since yesterday morning I have had a fever. I only feel the stabbing pain occasionally now.  I feel like I have the flu but I only have fever with aches and pains but no other flu symptoms.  My fever started Sunday morning and around 100.5 and now it is 102.6! I don't get fevers very often.  Pardon me but I feel like crap. I'm so achy I can't get out of bed.  Has anyone out there ever had fever from Crohn's before or is it probably just be a virus? confused Can this medicine cause fever?

Posted 2/19/2008 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
I would frequently get fevers during a flare. It can be cause by many different things but for me it was intestinal infections that required antibiotics or a fistula flaring up. Check with your doctor to make sure but that is my guess.
Posted 2/19/2008 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
Sulfalazine always made me feverish or at least that is how I felt.
Yes, IBD of both sides can cause fever.

Matthew
Posted 2/19/2008 3:28 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks Mojowo and Mathew I guess I better call the Doc tomorrow. I feel so crummy that the thought of driving 15 miles to the Doc is not appealing but I guess I better.  Thanks.

Posted 2/19/2008 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
I had that flu last week with the symptoms you described....
Posted 2/19/2008 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
The flare-related fevers often seen in Crohns are usually described as "low grade," meaning somewhat lower than your reported levels. I would bet it's more likely you have some kind of flu bug going on.

Posted 2/19/2008 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
Sulfalazine made me feel like I had the flu. Bad! I called dr. he told me to stop and prescirbed asacal.
Posted 2/19/2008 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
yes, but at over 102 you should think about a doc
Posted 2/19/2008 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
A lot of people I know have been getting this flu bug that causes a fever, it's unusual for an adult to run such a high fever otherwise.

With that said, I do get high fevers (102+), chills, and night sweats with the Crohn's, however, only pre-menstrually. Considering that you just started taking a new prescription, I'd be concerned you might be having a bad reaction. Definitely talk to your doctor.
Posted 2/19/2008 4:22 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Debbikay

Fevers in adults with known Crohn's should be evaluated by your physician.  I am glad you are going to get this checked out. Keep us posted on what you find out.
Hugs

Kitt

Posted 2/19/2008 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitt!  I still have a fever this morning.  Mainly it has been running between 100 and 101. The highest it has gone is 102.8.  I just called the doctor and left a message but haven't heard back yet.  I looked up the possible side effect of Sulfasalazine online and this is what I found: Common side effects — The most common side effects of Sulfasalazine are (I highlighted the ones I have) headache, nausea, fever, rash, and reversible infertility in men. Headache is one of the most common complaints, affecting up to one-third of people. Headaches are more likely with higher doses of the drug, and are less likely to occur if the dose is gradually increased. Loss of appetite, nausea, sensitivity to sunlight, and nervousness are also common when starting therapy. Sperm count may be reduced in men who take Sulfasalazine, although this is reversible once the drug is stopped. I would rather not have to take this med anyway because I have to take 2 horse pills every 6 hours.  It's hard to remember all the time.

Posted 2/19/2008 6:01 PM (GMT 0)

Hey debbikay, sorry you not feeling well.
For adults, a body temperature over 100° is usually considered a fever.
I think calling your physician was a good idea.  Let us know.

Hugs

Kitt

Posted 2/19/2008 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Well now I'm certain it's the Sulfasalazine that is making me sick.  I just went to take a shower and when I looked in the mirror with my clothes off my entire body is covered with a red rash.  The GI had mentioned that if I got a red rash from it to stop taking it.  I left another message but still haven't heard back yet. I think he works in the ER 4 days a week. I'm not taking that stuff anymore.  I will probably start feeling better now that I know whats making me sick.  I sometimes wonder if I was better of not taking anything.  Nothing has worked so far and I feel even worse.

Posted 2/19/2008 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Just a month ago I was in a pretty bad flare and my temp went up to 104.2.  I went to the ER and they couldn't find any infection...it was due to inflammation and I was very dehydrated.  I was in the hospital for 7 days.  Don't let it get to out of control like I did.  I would keep calling your doc until you get a hold of him.  Good luck and I hope you start feeling well soon!

Posted 2/19/2008 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi All...having Crohn's for 25+ yrs., I run low-grade fevers on a regular basis (in my case, PMS does bring these on). Temperatures nearing 100 & higher, however, would send me running to the doctor (antibiotics are usually needed as Crohn's often causes bacterial infections as opposed to viral). Regarding Sulfasalazine, it's been 20yrs. since I was on that drug (not a big fan of it's abilities). I was on the drug for approx. 3 to 4 yrs. when I started to develop migraines. They were so severe that I stopped the drug & poof!...the migraines never returned. tongue
Posted 8/26/2009 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
I had a fever of 103 today after a bad flare up over night. I think I'll try to go see my doctor tomorrow. I've had low grade fevers before, but this feels like a problem at this level. It saps all my energy too.
Posted 4/22/2012 2:36 PM (GMT 0)

Recently diagnosed with Crohn's. I get random fevers around 99 to 99.7. I had cataract surgery 6 days ago and started running a fever of 102° yesterday. I was afraid it was an infection in my eye but it seems fine. Which doc do I call? The GI guy? The eye surgeon? I also have diabetes. It's almost like the flu with very bad joint pain, especially in my hands. Would an antibiotic help. I don't take any meds for Cronh's as of yet. How long do these Crohn's fevers last?

Posted 4/22/2012 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hey puppygirl! This is an old thread, so maybe try reposting this as a new thread? That might help more see it. :)

I would start with your general doctor, honestly, as it sounds like you have several possible causes! See if your doctor suggests following up with your GI doc or your eye doc.
Posted 4/22/2012 6:03 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you Girlzilla. I have gotten much more info from this site than I have from the doc I see about Crohn's. It's kind of a relief to know I'm not the only one going through this. At the same time I'm sorry so many suffer with this problem. The number of people who have posted here really blew my mind. Now, if a President suffered from this disease, we'd all know everything there is to know about it! I have a lot to learn.
Posted 4/22/2012 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
I seem to recall hearing that JFK had some form of IBD...

Tbh, if a president had a disease, it would be more likely to be kept hush-hush, since - as wrong as it may be - it would be seen as a sign of 'weakness' by his opponents. Now what the president would be likely to get, which us peons wouldn't, would be first class medical care around the clock.

Anyway, that's way off topic! Fevers can be a part of Crohn's; it's part of the inflammatory process. I get them sometimes, but it's variable. I'll go for months without any fevers or just very low-grade ones and then I'll go through a spell of worse fevers. I got a temperature of 40.5C (105F) on Remicade and that scared me. Scared me enough to get me to go to A&E the next day and get admitted. They did enough testing of my stools, but no infectious cause was found. Was just a Crohn's flare up (with an obstruction).

Low-grade fevers are rarely anything to worry about, but higher fevers (101F or over) can indicate something else that's going on - an abscess or an infection. A one-off high fever is pretty meaningless, but if it's something which goes on for weeks it should definitely be checked out by a doc. Even a low-grade fever should be checked out if you think it's part of a more general flare-up.
Posted 4/22/2012 7:45 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you NiceCupofTea. I've got so many other things going on…diabetes, scleroderma (from CREST),arthritis it's hard to know which doc to call. From what I've read here so far, I think the GI doc would be the call to make. At least now that I've read some of what you all have to say, I'll have some questions for him. He really hasn't given me what to expect with CD. Do you have painful joints in your hands too?
Posted 4/22/2012 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Ah right. Yeah, in that case, it is hard to know where to start :-/ Maybe get in touch with all your docs? <_<

No, I don't actually. Joint problems are quite common with CD, but that's something I've not had. It's certainly a problem for some, though, to the point of seeing a rheumatologist for it.
Posted 11/19/2013 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I've been having low grade fever. It occurs now and then. But, almost everyday I have weakness in the feet. I don't have any pain in the feet or knees.

What other symptoms do you have along with low grade fever during a flare up? Do you get stomach pain, diarrhea and others? Thank you!
Posted 11/19/2013 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
I see I've posted in this thread already, but I don't have over 4000 posts for nothing :p

What I didn't say last time was that my fevers began in 2005. They were particularly bad for 2-3 years: during that time I kept a heater in my bedroom so I could lie in front of it when I got the shivers. These were not low-grade.

I had no other symptoms of infection. Only other symptom I had was diarrhoea, no abdominal pain (if that answers your question, Usher). Never had any abscesses or fistulas that were discovered. I think it was purely inflammation.
Posted 11/20/2013 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hello NiceCupOfTea,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry! that I had a different opinion about you (reading your other posts).

I've been having a hard time trying to find the cause for my symptom. My flare-up has calmed down when I was tested for CRP last time. Yesterday I bought a thermometer and have been measuring the body temperature. It's in the normal range.

I think, those symptoms are from Gastritis. I've been looking for the natural remedies and ordering things like crazy on the internet. I've been drinking ginger juice on an empty stomach in the morning. That's helping me a little.
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