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Revista Cubana de Medicina
versión On-line ISSN 1561-302X
Resumen
RODRIGUEZ SILVA, Héctor y ROCA CAMPANA, Víctor. Fever of unknown origin: Diagnostic dilemma. Rev cubana med [online]. 2006, vol.45, n.4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-302X.
The criteria established by Peterdorsf to classify the fever of unknown origin has been very useful for the diagnosis of this complex problem. More than 200 causes of this syndrome are classified into 4 groups: infectious, tumoral, and non-infectious inflammatory diseases, or collagen-vasculitis diseases, and miscellany. A group remains without a known cause. In the last years, a new approach has been proposed with regard to the addition of 4 new forms with only 3 days with fever without known cause: nosocomial, patients with neutropenia, and HIV-AIDS. Other authors believe that most of these patients may be diagnosed and treated in the ambulatory service. From 1990 on, the published series show changes in the distribution of the distinct causes with a decrease in non-infectious inflammatory diseases and without known cause. The diagnostic strategy requires to make a detailed medical history that explains the next steps to be taken. The development of new techniques (microbiological, chemical, immunological, imaging) as well as scintigraphy with several radioisotopes, and the positron emission tomography (PET), have been very useful in the diagnosis of this difficult problem. There are 2 groups with particular features: FUO in the third-age patients and episodic or intercurrent fever that should be considered in an independent way
Palabras clave : Fever of unknown origin; intercurrent fever; episodic fever.