感染性疾病是不明原因长期发热的重要病因

不明原因长期发热(fever of unknown origin,FUO),其定义为发热持续2～3周以上,体温≥38.5℃,经详细询问病史、体检和常规实验室检查仍未能明确诊断者.FUO的原因复杂,但可概括为感染、结缔组织病、血液病及恶性肿瘤四大类.     

不明原因发热或炎性病变要注意风湿免疫病

不明原因发热是内科疾病鉴别诊断中最难的内容之一,感染性疾病、肿瘤性疾病、风湿免疫性疾病是其三大病因。内科各专科医生中,普遍对感染和肿瘤性疾病警惕性高,而对风湿免疫性疾病的警惕性相对低,然而问题亦常发生于后者。     

Rheumatologic diseases as the cause of fever of unknown origin

In 30% of patients with fever or inflammation of unknown origin (FUO/IUO), the cause is eventually found to be a rheumatologic disease such as autoimmune or granulomatous disease or vasculitis. Most of these patients suffer from an uncommon presentation of a common disease, instead of an uncommon disease. We demonstrate the diagnostic challenge with several cases. The workup of FUO is based on the identification of potential diagnostic clues (PDCs). In the absence of PDCs, a standardized diagnostic protocol should be followed, including early FDG–PET/CT. Other imaging techniques or invasive diagnostic techniques should be reserved for those in whom PDCs are present.     

Angiomyolipoma presenting as fever of unknown origin

A case of renal angiomyolipoma presenting as fever of unknown origin unassociated with tuberous sclerosis is described. Important features include (1) infrequent occurrence in absence of tuberous sclerosis, (2) angiographic appearance suggesting neoplasm, (3) absence of documented malignant tissue transformation, and (4) presenting symptoms most frequently included abdominal pains, palpable flank mass and hematuria. Surgical removal of the lesion in this instance was associated with cessation of fever.     

Aortic dissection manifested as fever of unknown origin

Aortic dissection is accompanied by fever in about one third of the patients. However, fever of unknown origin as the predominant manifestation of aortic dissection seems to be extremely rare. A review of the English literature revealed only 3 patients characterized by fever as the principal sign of aortic dissection. Herein an additional patient is reported. All 4 patients presented with pain or discomfort in the chest, back or abdomen, followed by persistent fever, lasting 5-11 weeks and associated with anemia and a high sedimentation rate. The outcome was favorable in all cases regardless of the location of the dissection or the type of treatment.     

以不明原因发热为首发表现的恶性肿瘤69例临床分析

目的探讨以不明原因发热（FUO）为首发表现的恶性肿瘤患者的病因及临床特征。方法回顾性分析我院2000年1月～2007年12月间以FUO为首发表现的69例恶性肿瘤患者的病因、诊断方法和临床表现。结果69例恶性肿瘤患者男女比例为3．06：1,淋巴瘤最多见（占56．5％）,肺癌次之（占24．6％）。多部位穿刺活检有助于淋巴瘤明确诊断,淋巴瘤患者PPD试验阳性率低于结核病,但差异无显著性;89．7％（35／39）的患者有血象下降改变,其中三系细胞均下降比例最高,占36．4％（14／39）,83．9％（26／31）的患者乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）增高。所有肺癌患者均合并有阻塞性肺炎。结论以不明原因发热为首发表现的恶性肿瘤患者中淋巴瘤居首位,肺癌其次,仔细寻找线索有助于明确诊断。     

Pituitary lymphoma presenting as fever of unknown origin

An 86-yr-old woman presented with fever of unknown origin. When laboratory evaluation revealed partial hypopituitarism, a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the head was performed and revealed a sellar mass consistent with a pituitary adenoma. Only after other possible etiologies for fever were excluded did she undergo transsphenoidal resection of the sellar mass, which proved to be a B-cell lymphoma. Primary central nervous system lymphoma of the pituitary region is a rare cause of a sellar mass, and this is the first reported case of pituitary lymphoma whose presenting manifestation was fever of unknown origin. Several disease processes can manifest themselves as fever and a sellar mass, including lymphomas. In our case, only surgical biopsy could make a diagnosis and distinguish this process from the more common pituitary adenoma.     

Aortic dissection presenting as fever of unknown origin

Acute aortic dissection may have variable presentations, making the diagnosis clinically challenging. Although fever is a common accompanying feature, it rarely dominates the clinical setting. We report the case of a patient who sustained a prolonged spiking fever with unknown origin following acute aortic dissection. The case serves as a reminder that prolonged fever may be the principal residual sequelae after acute aortic dissection or one of the protean clinical manifestations of painless aortic dissection.     

Multiple myeloma presenting as fever of unknown origin

BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) itself is not considered to be responsible for fever and is not usually listed among the causes of fever of unknown origin (FUO). METHODS: We report three cases of MM presenting with specific fever that we analyze in combination with the three previously published cases. RESULTS: MM could easily be suspected in most, but not all, cases, emphasizing that bone marrow aspiration should be a part of 'standard' FUO investigations. All patients underwent extensive, sometimes potentially harmful, investigations. Conventional treatment of MM produced a sustained improvement in the temperature curve and inflammatory syndrome in all cases within a few months. Fever recurred during nearly all relapses. Six patients died, one after a disease course of more than 8 years. CONCLUSIONS: This series shows that MM may present as a FUO and that useless and hazardous investigations may be avoided given the possibility of specific fever in this disease. Chemotherapy must be considered without much delay after a reasonable work-up to eliminate any associated process, especially infections.     

Vancomycin allergy presenting as fever of unknown origin

A 37-year-old woman receiving long-term hemodialysis was admitted to the hospital with a fever of unknown origin (6 weeks of unexplained, persistent, low-grade fever). Although she had received vancomycin hydrochloride 5 days before the onset of fever, the drug was not suspected as the cause because of the duration of fever, the administration of vancomycin on prior occasions without incident, and the lack of allergic stigmata. After hospitalization, vancomycin and gentamicin sulfate were administered empirically. Immediately thereafter, her temperature rose to 40 degrees C, and over the ensuing 24 hours, eosinophilia and a maculopapular rash developed that resolved entirely when antibiotic therapy was stopped and low-dose steroid therapy was instituted. The prolonged hypersensitivity reaction after a single dose of vancomycin is consistent with the greatly extended half-life of this drug in the population with end-stage renal disease and should alert physicians to the possibility of such persistent idiosyncratic reactions in this group.     

Carcinoma of colon presenting as fever of unknown origin

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is defined as fever of more than 38.3 degrees C, the cause of which remains elusive after 1 week of intensive investigation. Most cases of FUO are restricted to infections, malignancies, and inflammatory diseases. FUO was previously reported as the presenting symptom of a few solid tumors such as lymphoma, renal cell carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Colon carcinoma manifesting as FUO has been rarely reported. We describe three female patients who presented with classical FUO and microcytic anemia. As a control, we retrospectively evaluated 28 matched patients with carcinoma of colon and no fever. The evaluation included review of patient files, clinical and laboratory data, and pathologic specimens. In the three patients (mean age, 58 years) who presented with FUO and had left-sided colon carcinoma and microcytic anemia, pathologic evaluation of the tumor tissues demonstrated a severe organized inflammatory process forming abscesses in the pericolic fat. The 28 control matched patients showed no such histopathologic changes. In patients presenting with FUO, especially those who present with microcytic anemia, even with no bowel disturbances or elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels, diagnostic workup should include a search for occult colorectal carcinoma. In our three cases, it appears that microabscesses in the pericolic fat are the cause of fever.     

Difficult diagnosis of fever of unknown origin related to an infraclinic liposarcoma: "small tumor and fever of unknown origin"

INTRODUCTION: Palpation of soft tissues constitutes part of the physical examination when faced with a patient with fever of unknown origin. Our case highlights the difficulty of diagnosis when the tumor still remains impalpable ten months after onset of fever and severe biological inflammatory process. EXEGESIS: A 49-year-old woman was admitted for fever of unknown origin associated with important biological inflammatory process. In view of her past medical history of breast carcinoma, a search for a relapse was performed and remained negative. Despite multiple investigations and repeated physical examinations, no diagnosis was obtained. Finally, [18F] fluorodoexyglucose positron emission tomography led to a diagnosis showing a high fixation located in the right thigh, related to a myxoid liposarcoma after surgical resection. CONCLUSION: Dramatic regression of fever and biological inflammatory process after surgical treatment illustrates the concept of "small tumor and fever of unknown origin", an exceptional entity but which physicians should be aware of. The role of new technical imaging with [18F] fluorodoexyglucose positron emission tomography has however to be clarified in the evaluation of fever of unknown origin.     

Kikuchi's disease: an uncommon cause of fever of unknown origin

Kikuchi's disease or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis is an uncommon clinical condition that causes diagnostic difficulties because of its lack of specific signs, symptoms and serological markers. Diagnosis is based on histopathological findings, but overlapping of the histological features requires a differential diagnosis among histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis and a number of infectious, autoimmune and lymphoproliferative lymphadenopathies. We report a case of Kikuchi's disease in a 19-year-old woman presenting with generalized lymphadenopathy and persistent fever.     

Inflammation of unknown origin versus fever of unknown origin: Two of a kind

ObjectivesA vast literature exists on fever of unknown origin (FUO), characterized by prolonged and perplexing fevers > 38.3 °C. In contrast, no studies are available to guide the approach to inflammation of unknown origin (IUO), defined as prolonged and perplexing inflammation with temperatures < 38.3 °C. We aimed to determine the diagnostic yield, the case-mix, and the outcome of patients with IUO, relative to patients with FUO.MethodsWe matched 57 patients with IUO to 57 patients with FUO of the same gender (54% male) and a similar age (median: 67 years).ResultsA diagnosis was established in 35 patients with IUO (61%) and in 33 patients with FUO (58%) (p = .70). The case-mix did not differ significantly (p = .43). Non-infectious inflammatory disorders were the dominant diagnostic category in the IUO group (16 patients), while in the FUO group, similar numbers of malignancies [10], infections [9], and non-infectious inflammatory diseases [9] were diagnosed. ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan contributed comparably to the diagnosis in both groups (in 18 of 50, 36%, patients with IUO and in 13 of 40, 33%, patients with FUO) (p = .83). In both groups, 7 patients (12%) died during an average follow-up of 1 year.ConclusionDiagnostic yield, case-mix, contribution of FDG-PET scan and vital outcome were similar in patients with IUO and FUO. These data suggest that the 38.3 °C boundary may be arbitrary and that the diagnostic approaches used in FUO can be applied to IUO.     

Tuberculosis as a cause of recurrent fever of unknown origin

Recurrent fever constitutes a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, due mainly to the intermittent nature of the fever that results in incomplete investigations. We describe three patients with recurrent fever thought to be due to tuberculosis, and review the 14 previously reported cases who fulfil the criteria of recurrent fever for at least 1 month's duration. The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 5 months, and the duration of the febrile bouts ranged from a few hours to 1 week. The most common complaints were constitutional symptoms and abdominal pain, and most patients had significant underlying conditions. The mortality rate was 31%, and was limited to the earlier cases. Routine laboratory studies are not very helpful for the diagnosis of this condition, and chest radiographs showed some alteration in half the cases at the time of diagnosis, although in some cases represented old, healed lesions. PPD testing was positive in most cases, particularly in those without underlying conditions. Empirical antituberculous therapy should be considered in cases of recurrent fever, especially in areas of high prevalence or in patients with predisposing conditions.