Fever House Call Berlin

Fever is a hypothalamus-regulated rise in core body temperature, usually defined from 38.0 degrees Celsius rectally. Values of 37.5 to 38.0 are subfebrile, above 39.0 is high fever, above 41.0 is hyperpyrexia and potentially dangerous.

The most common causes in Berlin are viral upper and lower respiratory infections – influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, adenovirus. Bacterial causes range from streptococcal tonsillitis and urinary tract infections to pneumonia. Less frequent but important are endocarditis, Lyme borreliosis, tuberculosis, pyelonephritis and rheumatic flares.

Clinical assessment considers not only the temperature but accompanying signs: chills, sweating, pain, cough, dyspnoea, abdominal pain, rash, neurological abnormality or altered consciousness. The diagnosis comes from the overall picture.

A house call is sensible whenever a patient is too unwell to attend a practice yet the symptoms appear manageable at home. Classic constellations are high fever with exhaustion, body aches, sore throat or cough – essentially what looks like flu or a viral upper respiratory infection.

Elderly patients, the immunocompromised, the chronically ill and pregnant patients particularly benefit from early medical contact – yet travelling to an emergency room or practice is exhausting and carries infection risks.

Hotel guests, business travellers and families with small children benefit especially: no waiting rooms, no spread of infection in the metro, no logistical chaos. We reach Mitte, Charlottenburg, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg or Schöneberg within sixty to ninety minutes.

The RAB specialist performs a full physical examination – inspection, auscultation of heart and lungs, palpation of abdomen and lymph nodes, oropharyngeal examination, otoscopy and basic neurological status. Pneumonia, otitis, tonsillitis or meningismus can already be detected clinically.

Mobile diagnostics support the examination: pulse oximetry, blood pressure, heart rate, rapid tests for influenza A/B, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, group A streptococcus, CRP and urine dipstick when urinary infection is suspected. Pulmonary ultrasound is available on request.

In most cases this allows a sound assessment of cause and severity. Should hospital admission be required – for example pneumonia with reduced oxygen saturation or suspected sepsis – we organise the transfer to a suitable Berlin clinic.

Treatment follows AWMF guidelines. For viral infections symptomatic care comes first: adequate fluids, antipyretics with paracetamol or ibuprofen according to individual tolerance, physical rest. For bacterial infection a resistance-guided antibiotic is prescribed; selection reflects the current Berlin pathogen landscape.

You receive a private prescription. Medication can be collected from a twenty-four-hour pharmacy or delivered by messenger – we coordinate with the nearest pharmacy if required, including the emergency pharmacy at Bahnhof Zoo.

If needed you receive a sick note and a written summary of the visit. If symptoms worsen in the following days, a follow-up phone call to +49 30 550 77 870 is free; a repeat house call incurs regular GOÄ billing.

In infants under three months any fever above 38.0 degrees is a medical emergency – we generally recommend presentation at a Berlin paediatric clinic such as DRK Westend Children's Hospital, Charité Campus Virchow or Helios Berlin-Buch, and 112 in case of reduced general condition.

For children between three months and five years a house call by our specialists is possible if no red flags are present. We pay particular attention to hydration, skin colour, breathing, consciousness and social responsiveness.

Seniors often respond atypically: fever may be absent or only subfebrile while the underlying illness runs a severe course. Confusion, weakness and impaired mobility are serious warning signs. For patients in Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Reinickendorf or Pankow with chronic disease we deliberately lower the threshold for hospital admission.