Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:

• Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
• Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.
• Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, herbal remedies, or supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.
• Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.
• Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

If you're not sure if a fever is high, moderate, or mild, think about these issues:

With a high fever:

• You feel very hot.
• It is likely one of the highest fevers you've ever had. High fevers are not that common, especially in adults.

With a moderate fever:

• You feel warm or hot.
• You know you have a fever.

With a mild fever:

• You may feel a little warm.
• You think you might have a fever, but you're not sure.

Temperature varies a little depending on how you measure it. For adults and children age 12 and older, these are the ranges for high, moderate, and mild, according to how you took the temperature.

Oral (by mouth) temperature

• High: 104°F (40°C) and higher
• Moderate: 100.4°F (38°C) to 103.9°F (39.9°C)
• Mild: 100.3°F (37.9°C) and lower

A forehead (temporal) scanner is usually 0.5°F (0.3°C) to 1°F (0.6°C) lower than an oral temperature.

Ear temperature

• High: 105°F (40.6°C) and higher
• Moderate: 101.4°F (38.6°C) to 104.9°F (40.5°C)
• Mild: 101.3°F (38.5°C) and lower

Armpit (axillary) temperature

• High: 103°F (39.5°C) and higher
• Moderate: 99.4°F (37.4°C) to 102.9°F (39.4°C)
• Mild: 99.3°F (37.3°C) and lower

Blood in the stool can come from anywhere in the digestive tract, such as the stomach or intestines. Depending on where the blood is coming from and how fast it is moving, it may be bright red, reddish brown, or black like tar.

A little bit of bright red blood on the stool or on the toilet paper is often caused by mild irritation of the rectum. For example, this can happen if you have to strain hard to pass a stool or if you have a hemorrhoid.

A large amount of blood in the stool may mean a more serious problem is present. For example, if there is a lot of blood in the stool, not just on the surface, you may need to call your doctor right away. If there are just a few drops on the stool or in the diaper, you may need to let your doctor know today to discuss your symptoms. Black stools may mean you have blood in the digestive tract that may need treatment right away, or may go away on its own.

Certain medicines and foods can affect the color of stool. Diarrhea medicines (such as Pepto-Bismol) and iron tablets can make the stool black. Eating lots of beets may turn the stool red. Eating foods with black or dark blue food coloring can turn the stool black.

If you take aspirin or some other medicine (called a blood thinner) that prevents blood clots, it can cause some blood in your stools. If you take a blood thinner and have ongoing blood in your stools, call your doctor to discuss your symptoms.

Symptoms of a vaginal infection may include:

• Vaginal itching.
• Vaginal discharge that is not normal for you.
• Red, irritated skin in the vaginal area.
• Pain when you urinate.
• Pain or bleeding when you have sex.

Shock is a life-threatening condition that may quickly occur after a sudden illness or injury.

Adults and older children often have several symptoms of shock. These include:

• Passing out (losing consciousness).
• Feeling very dizzy or lightheaded, like you may pass out.
• Feeling very weak or having trouble standing.
• Not feeling alert or able to think clearly. You may be confused, restless, fearful, or unable to respond to questions.

Pain in adults and older children

• Severe pain (8 to 10): The pain is so bad that you can't stand it for more than a few hours, can't sleep, and can't do anything else except focus on the pain.
• Moderate pain (5 to 7): The pain is bad enough to disrupt your normal activities and your sleep, but you can tolerate it for hours or days. Moderate can also mean pain that comes and goes even if it's severe when it's there.
• Mild pain (1 to 4): You notice the pain, but it is not bad enough to disrupt your sleep or activities.

Symptoms of difficulty breathing can range from mild to severe. For example:

• You may feel a little out of breath but still be able to talk (mild difficulty breathing), or you may be so out of breath that you cannot talk at all (severe difficulty breathing).
• It may be getting hard to breathe with activity (mild difficulty breathing), or you may have to work very hard to breathe even when you’re at rest (severe difficulty breathing).

Severe trouble breathing means:

• You cannot talk at all.
• You have to work very hard to breathe.
• You feel like you can't get enough air.
• You do not feel alert or cannot think clearly.

Moderate trouble breathing means:

• It's hard to talk in full sentences.
• It's hard to breathe with activity.

Mild trouble breathing means:

• You feel a little out of breath but can still talk.
• It's becoming hard to breathe with activity.

Certain health conditions and medicines weaken the immune system's ability to fight off infection and illness. Some examples in adults are:

• Diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.
• Long-term alcohol and drug problems.
• Steroid medicines, which may be used to treat a variety of conditions.
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer.
• Other medicines used to treat autoimmune disease.
• Medicines taken after organ transplant.
• Not having a spleen.

Symptoms of a bladder infection may include:

• Pain or burning when you urinate.
• A frequent urge to urinate without being able to pass much urine.
• Blood in the urine.

Symptoms of a kidney infection may include:

• Pain in the flank, which is felt just below the rib cage and above the waist on one or both sides of the back.
• Fever or chills.
• Pain or burning when you urinate.
• A frequent urge to urinate without being able to pass much urine.
• Belly pain.

Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism may include:

• Sudden shortness of breath.
• Sudden, sharp chest pain that may get worse when you breathe deeply or cough.
• A cough. The cough may bring up blood or pink, foamy mucus.
• Fast heart rate.
• Wheezing.
• Fainting.

Severe vaginal bleeding means that you are soaking 1 or 2 pads or tampons in 1 or 2 hours, unless that is normal for you. For most women, passing clots of blood from the vagina and soaking through their usual pads or tampons every hour for 2 or more hours is not normal and is considered severe. If you are pregnant: You may have a gush of blood or pass a clot, but if the bleeding stops, it is not considered severe.

Moderate bleeding means that you are soaking more than 1 pad or tampon in 3 hours.

Mild bleeding means that you are soaking less than 1 pad or tampon in more than 3 hours.

Minimal vaginal bleeding means "spotting" or a few drops of blood.

Some of the problems with breastfeeding that you might have include:

• Sore, red nipples.
• Stabbing or burning breast pain.
• A hard lump in your breast.
• Your baby having trouble latching onto your breast.

If you have pain when you are breathing, you may be at immediate risk for a pulmonary embolism if you also have:

• Pain deep in one leg for no clear reason. This can be a sign of a blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis) that could travel to the lungs.
• A history of problems with blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis or a previous pulmonary embolism.

Symptoms of postpartum depression may include:

• Trouble sleeping.
• Feeling sad or hopeless.
• Crying often, or feeling like you are going to cry.
• Feeling anxious or edgy.
• Not being able to concentrate.