Effects of cooling on core temperature and thermoregulatory responses

Fever was induced in volunteers on three separate days by administration of interleukin-2. Randomly assigned treatments were control (a cotton blanket), cooling (forced air at 15°C), or self-adjust (forced-air warming adjusted to comfort). Treatments were maintained for three to eight elapsed hours. Active cooling should generally be avoided in unsedated patients with moderate fever because it does not reduce core temperature, but does increase metabolic rate, activate the autonomic nervous system, and provoke thermal discomfort.