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Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Fever of unknown origin classification

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Based upon the work of Petersdorf and Beeson, Durack and Street classified fever of unknown origin(FUO) into four distinct categories in 1991:[1]

  1. Classic FUO
  2. Neutropenic FUO
  3. HIV related FUO
  4. Nosocomial FUO[2]
Classification

Classification

Classic FUO[3]

  • Fever above 38.3° C (100.9° F)
  • For more than three weeks
  • No diagnosis after work up for at least three visits in outdoor or three days of stay in hospital.

Neutropenic FUO

  • Fever above 38.3° C (100.9° F)
  • Absolute neutrophil count not more than 500 cells per mm³
  • Minimum diagnostic work up for at least three days.

HIV associated FUO

  • Known HIV case
  • Fever above 38.3° C (100.9° F)
  • Time span of more than four weeks for non hospitalized while 3 days for hospitalized patients.

Nosocomial FUO

  • Patient in hospital for at least 24 hours
  • Absence of fever or incubating fever at admission
  • Minimum diagnostic workup for at least three days.
References

References

  1. ↑ Wright WF, Auwaerter PG (2020). “Fever and Fever of Unknown Origin: Review, Recent Advances, and Lingering Dogma”. Open Forum Infect Dis. 7 (5): ofaa132. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa132. PMC 7237822 Check |pmc= value (help). PMID 32462043 Check |pmid= value (help).
  2. ↑ Hayakawa K, Ramasamy B, Chandrasekar PH (2012). “Fever of unknown origin: an evidence-based review”. Am J Med Sci. 344 (4): 307–16. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31824ae504. PMID 22475734.
  3. ↑ Hayakawa K, Ramasamy B, Chandrasekar PH (2012). “Fever of unknown origin: an evidence-based review”. Am J Med Sci. 344 (4): 307–16. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31824ae504. PMID 22475734.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: