Final answer:
The term for fever is pyrexia, which is an elevated body temperature often caused by the hypothalamus setting a higher temperature in response to infection. It involves mechanisms such as sweating and vasodilation to regulate the body's temperature.
Step-by-step explanation:
Another term for fever is pyrexia, which is defined in medical practice as an elevated body temperature. Typically, a fever is indicative of the body's response to a pathogen, such as a viral or bacterial infection. During a fever, the hypothalamus raises the body's temperature set point, leading to an increase in body temperature. This physiological change has several beneficial effects, including inhibiting the growth of pathogens and enhancing the body's immune response.
Several mechanisms to regulate body temperature are put into action when a fever occurs, such as sweating and vasodilation to release excess heat, or producing chills and shivering to generate heat if the body temperature is too low. Additionally, a fever can stimulate the metabolism, as evidenced by a significant increase in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) with rising body temperatures, which accelerates the rate of metabolic reactions in the body.
In summary, the correct answer to the provided question is: A) Pyrexia; elevated body temperature.