Question

The faster breathing in high fever is due to the

• A. Additional requirement of $O_2$ for the invader germs.
• B. High temperature of the body.
• C. Mental stress of a patient.
• D. Loss of appetite.

Answer 1

The correct option is B High temperature of the body.

Fever is the temporary increase in the body's temperature in response to some disease or illness. During fever due to increased perspiration, blood and urine volumes are reduced. Proteins are rapidly broken down which leads to increased excretion of nitrogenous products in the urine. Due to increased metabolism, there is increases in the demand of oxygen by tissue cells. This means the heart must contract more frequently to keep up with the demand and breathing is accelerated to increase the rate of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange.

Thus, the correct answer is option B.