Unexplained fever-analysis of 233 cases in a referral hospital.

A study was conducted to analyse the causes of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in a teaching hospital in central India. Study subjects consisted of 233 patients having FUO admitted in the medical ward. Specific causes of FUO were identified in 73.4% cases. The commonest causes (46.4%) were of infectious diseases origin foremost being enteric fever (29.6%) followed by malaria (9.0%) and tuberculous fever (5.2%). Chloroquine responsive fever accounted for 26% cases of FUO. Enteric fever were seen more commonly in younger adults less than 50 years, tuberculous fever presented usually after four weeks of onset of symptoms and more in elderly patients aged 50 years or more. Intermittent type of fever was more commonly recorded in infectious diseases. Approach to causes of FUO should be focused primarily on infectious diseases followed by other specific investigations. Empirical treatment of cases having intermittent fever with chloroquine seems justifiable even in absence of malarial parasite in peripheral blood smear.