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Fever of unknown origin classification

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

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.

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