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Fever

Fletcher, Tom, Bleeker-Rovers, Chantal P. and Beeching, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7019-8791 (2017) 'Fever'. Medicine, Vol 45, Issue 3, pp. 177-183.

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Abstract

Fever is an elevation of body temperature mediated by the hypothalamus in response to exogenous pyrogens and pyrogenic cytokines. Patients with acute fever should be assessed promptly for signs of sepsis. Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) is defined as a fever ≥38.3 °C on several occasions over a period of at least 3 weeks, with uncertain diagnosis after a number of obligatory tests. A diagnostic algorithm is outlined in which the most important steps are a thorough history and physical examination, with investigations in a search for potentially diagnostic clues. Scintigraphic methods, such as 67gallium citrate, labelled leucocytes and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), are often used in PUO. The favourable characteristics of FDG-PET/computed tomography mean that conventional scintigraphic techniques are being increasingly replaced by this technique where PET is available. Most patients with undiagnosed PUO have benign self-limiting or recurrent fever.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: QW Microbiology and Immunology > Antigens and Antibodies. Toxins and Antitoxins > QW 630 Toxins. Antitoxins
WB Practice of Medicine > WB 102 Clinical medicine
WB Practice of Medicine > Diagnosis > General Diagnosis > WB 143 Signs and symptoms
WB Practice of Medicine > Diagnosis > General Diagnosis > WB 152 Chills. Fever
WN Radiology. Diagnostic imaging > Nuclear Medicine > WN 440 Nuclear medicine
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Clinical Sciences & International Health > International Public Health Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2016.12.013
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 27 Apr 2018 13:21
Last Modified: 03 Aug 2021 13:53
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/8541

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