**2. Fever**

Fever results from a pyrogen-mediated alteration in the set point of the thermoregulatory system in the anterior hypothalamus [1]. The interaction of endogenous and exogenous pyrogens with the hypothalamus results in increased production of prostaglandins, which act on temperature-sensitive neurons and lead to increased core temperature [1] Infection is the most common cause of fever, accounting for 74% of fevers in hospitalized patients [3]. Other processes that produce endogenous pyrogens, such as malignancy and ischemia, account for the majority of the remaining sources of fever in hospitalized medical patients [4].
