What is the Difference Between Hyperthermia and Pyrexia?

Hyperthermia and pyrexia are two terms related to increased body temperature, but they have distinct differences:

• Hyperthermia: This refers to an abnormally high body temperature, also known as overheating. It occurs when the body absorbs more heat than it releases, and it can be caused by excessive amounts of heat from the surroundings or due to an inability of the body's thermoregulatory apparatus to cope with increased heat production. The normal body temperature of a human is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and any body temperature above 99 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit can be considered hyperthermia.
• Pyrexia: This is the medical term for fever, which is the elevation of an individual's core body temperature above a set-point regulated by the body. Fever is caused by an increase in the hypothalamic set point (the body's thermostat) as an adaptive response to a pathological state. This process is carried out through chemical mediators (cytokines) known as pyrogens, which can be endogenous (e.g., IL1, IL6) or exogenous (e.g., bacterial/viral toxins).

In summary, the key difference between hyperthermia and pyrexia is that hyperthermia is a sudden and uncontrolled increase in body temperature due to a failure of the body's thermoregulatory apparatus, while pyrexia is an increase in the hypothalamic temperature set point as an adaptive response of the body.

Comparative Table: Hyperthermia vs Pyrexia

Hyperthermia and pyrexia are two different conditions related to increased body temperature. Here is a table highlighting the differences between the two:

In summary, hyperthermia is an abnormally high body temperature due to a failure of the body's thermoregulatory apparatus or external factors, while pyrexia is an increase in body temperature as an adaptive response to a pathological state, involving the hypothalamus.