What does a body temperature greater than 99.5 F indicate?

A body temperature greater than 99.5°F indicates fever, also known as pyrexia. This condition typically suggests that the body is responding to an infection or illness, as the immune system often raises the body temperature to help combat pathogens. Normal body temperature usually ranges from about 97°F to 98.6°F, and once it exceeds this range, it is generally associated with a fever, which can indicate that the body is fighting off an infection or inflammation.

Hypothermia would refer to a dangerously low body temperature, while normal temperature denotes the absence of such elevation. Hyperthermia describes an elevated body temperature due to external factors like heat exposure or excessive exercise, rather than an internal immune response, which is the hallmark of fever. Hence, fever is specifically aligned with the body's response mechanism rather than external overheating or simply a range within normal limits.