What should you know about painful chills?

Chills may feel like shivering, shaking, or waves of cold even when the room is warm. The aching can come from repeated muscle contractions, fever-related body aches, or the illness causing the chills.

Chills are a symptom rather than a diagnosis. They commonly accompany illnesses that raise body temperature, including influenza and pneumonia. A kidney infection or urinary tract infection can also cause chills, especially with pain in the back or side, burning urination, or a frequent need to pass urine.

In areas where mosquito-borne illness occurs, malaria and dengue fever are other possibilities. Sepsis is a serious reaction to an infection and can include chills alongside confusion, breathing difficulty, extreme weakness, or feeling unusually unwell. A symptom page about Chills can help you compare related features, but it cannot identify the cause by itself.

Rest, drink fluids regularly if you can keep them down, and use light layers or a blanket for comfort. Check your temperature with a thermometer and record when the chills began, how long episodes last, and any pain, cough, vomiting, rash, or urinary symptoms.

Do not use ice-cold water or pile on heavy coverings if you have a fever. Ask a pharmacist or clinician which fever or pain medicine is suitable for you, particularly if you are pregnant, have liver or kidney disease, take regular medicines, or are caring for a child. Arrange a clinical assessment if the chills are persistent, recurrent, or worsening.

Seek urgent medical help for trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, new confusion, blue or grey lips, a seizure, severe weakness, or difficulty staying awake. Get prompt care for chills with a severe headache and stiff neck, a widespread rash, repeated vomiting, dehydration, severe abdominal or back pain, or a very high or rapidly rising temperature.

Contact a clinician promptly if you have recently travelled to a malaria-risk area, have a weakened immune system, or are pregnant. Young children, older adults, and people with significant long-term conditions may need assessment sooner because serious infection can progress without obvious early signs.

Ask: What could explain my chills and muscle pain? Do I need an examination, urine test, blood test, or chest assessment? Which symptoms should make me seek emergency help? If I have travelled recently, could a travel-related infection such as Malaria or Dengue Fever be relevant?