Can a sufficiently high fever cause brain damage?

Question

Can a very high fever, like 106 degrees Fahrenheit, or 41 degrees Celsius damage your neuronal pathways? I remember having such a high fever for a prolonged time period (I was stuck on an air-conditioned plane for nearly 24 hours in this condition), and the fever in general lasted about two weeks. I do remember having these very painful headaches that weren't continuous, but would come in spurts for shortened time periods, almost like someone was sticking a knife into my head. I couldn't sleep, eat or breathe properly, and was having extreme sensitivity to even the slightest noise. The reason I ask is b/c it was very different from fevers I've had earlier in my life (which didn't have such a painful impact, nor were they so high in magnitude)

By the way the fever was a result of bronchitis. Ever since, I've wondered about the effects a high fever can possibly illicit on a person's brain. Is the fever-brain damage link only applicable for infants, or does it extend to older people as well? (I was 17 when this happened). Also, are there any long term implications of extremely high fevers in general?

Thanks for your answers =)

Answer 1

high fever can cause brain damage. i would call your doctor if i were you.  

Answer 2

A body temperature of 106 degrees F (or higher) is incompatible with life.

Don't you love the way the pathophysiology textbook words it?

Obviously you are no longer sick.  But at the time, yes, a fever of 106 can cause brain damage, seizures, any number of nasty little complications.  Helen Keller became blind and deaf as the result of a high fever which accompanied an illness.  Were you under a doctor's care at the time, and was he aware of the fever spikes?  If you didn't tell him, then those fevers are not in your medical record.  So the next time you see your doctor, discuss that illness with him and be sure he documents the fever.

I don't know about long-term consequences, but it's better to have it on your medical record now just in case the information is needed later.

I had an extremely high fever once, during an episode of deep vein thrombosis that followed a normal pregnancy and delivery.  That was almost 27 years ago.  If there have been long-term effects, I haven't noticed.