If you’re constipated, your bowel movements may be less than usual or painful. You might also have a low-grade fever. The two symptoms can occur at the same time, but they don’t cause each other. If you have both, it’s usually a sign that there is another underlying cause. Fever is a response to infection, inflammation, or disease.
Fever is a vital part of the body’s defense system, according to Rudolph Bedford, MD, a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. It increases the temperature of your cells, making it harder for viruses and bacteria to survive and thrive. This allows the immune system to kill them. Infections, inflammation, and bacterial imbalance are common can being constipated cause fever in infants and adults.
You can help prevent and treat constipation by drinking enough water and eating high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Avoid processed meats, fried foods, and refined carbohydrates. Get exercise most days of the week to get more fiber in your diet. You can also try a stool softener, bulk-forming agent, or osmotic laxative. However, before you use any over-the-counter options, talk to your doctor.
If you have a fever and constipation, you should see a doctor right away. Other serious symptoms that you should report include blood in your poop, a bloated stomach, rectal pain or bleeding, or diarrhea. A doctor can diagnose the underlying cause of your symptoms and prescribe treatment.
