Chills - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

The chills are involuntary contractions, rhythmic or irregular, of large muscle groups, accompanied by a sense of cold and tear orproduction (piloerezione or "goose bumps").

It is a reaction with which the body, through an increase in muscular activity, increases the production of heat to keep its temperature constant. For this reason, exposure to cold normally causes chills to occur.

The phenomenon can also arise as a reaction to strong psychic stimuli, which can occur as a result of a trauma, a shock, a strong fear or a very intense effort.

The chills that precede fever are due to pyrogens (such as microorganisms, immune complexes, toxins or bacterial products), which penetrate the body and alter the regulation point of body temperature at the level of the hypothalamus centers. The result is a response characterized by muscular contractions, which generate heat and contribute to causing a feverish state. In this sense, chills are a symptom of many infectious diseases, including bronchopneumonia, influenza, malaria, sepsis and meningitis.

Chills may also occur after an incompatible blood group transfusion.