Study of acute febrile illness: a 10-year descriptive study and a proposed algorithm from a tertiary care referral hospital in rural Kerala in Southern India.

Acute febrile illness (AFI), the initial diagnosis of whose cause is often presumptive, can sometimes be a challenge for the treating physician. To address this issue we carried out a hospital- based descriptive study. More than half (51.5%) of the patients were presumed to have viral fever. Most of the patients (60%) were in the productive phase of life (age range, 18-45 years). The outcome was worst among those aged over 65 years. A definite seasonal trend was observed with a peak in incidence with the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala. Public awareness regarding fevers in the pre-monsoon season should be heightened. Special care should be given to the elderly as they are often the most vulnerable. The use of the proposed locally based algorithm may avoid unnecessary investigations and treatment.