Fever of unknown origin
| Fever of unknown origin | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Pyrexia of unknown origin, febris e causa ignota |
| Duration | ≥3 weeks |
| Types | Various |
| Causes | Infections, malignancies, non-infectious inflammatory diseases, others |
| Diagnostic method | Clinician-verified temperature at or above 38.3 Celsius at any measurement site on several occasions over at least 3 weeks. |
| Differential diagnosis | Factitious fever, malingering |
| Frequency | 2–3 % of all medical admissions[1] |
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) refers to a condition in which the patient has an elevated temperature (fever) for which no cause can be found despite investigations by one or more qualified physicians.[2][3][4] If the cause is found, it is usually a diagnosis of exclusion, eliminating all possibilities until only the correct explanation remains.
In the West, the classical medical definition of the FUO required a clinician-verified measurement of temperature of ≥38.3 at any site on several (varied) occasions over 3 weeks,[5][6][7] though in the recent years the threshold of ≥38.0 has been becoming increasingly more prevalent.[8]
- ^ De Pascali, Alessandra Mistral; Ingletto, Ludovica; Succi, Arianna; Brandolini, Martina; Dionisi, Laura; Colosimo, Claudia; Gatti, Giulia; Dirani, Giorgio; Zannoli, Silvia; Frassineti, Valeria; Silvestrini, Giulia; Biagetti, Carlo; Cristini, Francesco; Bassi, Paolo; Cricca, Monica (2025-08-01). "Epidemiology and diagnostic challenges of fever of unknown origin (FUO) among adults: A multicenter retrospective study in Northern Italy". Journal of Infection and Public Health. 18 (8): 102824. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102824. ISSN 1876-0341. PMID 40403627.
- ^ Mandell's Principles and Practices of Infection Diseases 6th Edition (2004) by Gerald L. Mandell MD, MACP, John E. Bennett MD, Raphael Dolin MD, ISBN 0-443-06643-4 · Hardback · 4016 Pages Churchill Livingstone
- ^ Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine Archived 2012-08-04 at the Wayback Machine 16th Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies, ISBN 0-07-140235-7
- ^ The Oxford Textbook of Medicine Archived 2006-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Edited by David A. Warrell, Timothy M. Cox and John D. Firth with Edward J. Benz, Fourth Edition (2003), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-262922-0
- ^ Petersdorf, R. G.; Beeson, P. B. (February 1961). "Fever of unexplained origin: report on 100 cases". Medicine. 40: 1–30. doi:10.1097/00005792-196102000-00001. ISSN 0025-7974. PMID 13734791.
- ^ de Kleijn, E. M.; Vandenbroucke, J. P.; van der Meer, J. W. (November 1997). "Fever of unknown origin (FUO). I A. prospective multicenter study of 167 patients with FUO, using fixed epidemiologic entry criteria. The Netherlands FUO Study Group". Medicine. 76 (6): 392–400. doi:10.1097/00005792-199711000-00002. ISSN 0025-7974. PMID 9413425.
- ^ Wright, William F; Stelmash, Lauren; Betrains, Albrecht; Mulders-Manders, Catharina M; Rovers, Chantal P; Vanderschueren, Steven; Auwaerter, Paul G; International Fever and Inflammation of Unknown Origin Research Working Group; Baicus, Cristian; Bharucha, Tehmina; Bor, David; Bosilkovski, Mile; Brown, Michael; Carroll, Karen; Fusco, Francesco Maria (2024-06-28). "Recommendations for Updating Fever and Inflammation of Unknown Origin From a Modified Delphi Consensus Panel". Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 11 (7): ofae298. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofae298. ISSN 2328-8957. PMC 11222709. PMID 38966848.
- ^ Wright, William F.; Mulders-Manders, Catharina M.; Auwaerter, Paul G.; Bleeker-Rovers, Chantal P. (February 2022). "Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) – A Call for New Research Standards and Updated Clinical Management". The American Journal of Medicine. 135 (2): 173–178. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.07.038. PMID 34437835.