What should you know about sweating then chills?

Chills are involuntary muscle activity that creates heat. They may follow sweating when a fever is settling, when damp skin cools, or when the body is responding to illness. Influenza, Pneumonia, Kidney Infection, and Urinary Tract Infection can present with feverish episodes and chills; the symptom pattern alone cannot distinguish them.

In areas where it occurs, Malaria can cause cycles of chills and sweating. Dengue Fever is another illness that needs medical assessment when fever is accompanied by significant body pain, rash, or bleeding symptoms.

Measure your temperature during the episode, change out of wet clothing, rest, and take small frequent drinks. Avoid very hot showers or piling on heavy layers. Note associated pain, cough, urinary symptoms, vomiting, rash, travel, and insect exposure.

Contact a clinician promptly if episodes keep returning or you feel progressively worse. Do not self-treat a possible infection with leftover antibiotics.

Seek emergency help for confusion, fainting, severe breathlessness, blue lips, a seizure, severe pain, cold clammy skin with extreme weakness, or difficulty staying awake. Urgent assessment is needed for rapidly worsening illness or concern about Sepsis, especially with fast breathing, very little urine, or new confusion.

Tell the clinician when the sweating and chills occur, your temperature readings, travel history, medicines, and any pain or breathing, urinary, or digestive symptoms. Ask whether testing is needed.