Pyrexia
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
Pyrexia (or fever) is a clinical sign, indicated by an abnormally elevated core body temperature, which is defined by several medical societies as ≥38.3°C (≥≈101°F). The temperature elevation may be persistent or episodic. If the body temperature is greater than 41.5°C - a rare phenomenon - it is known as hyperpyrexia.
The commonest cause of fever is infection, in one study of hospital inpatients accounting for ~70% cases 1. Other frequent causes are inflammatory disease, malignancies and medication-related fevers. Pyrogenic is the term used for anything that causes pyrexia (cf. pyogenic: pus-forming). A treatment that directly lowers the body temperature is an antipyretic. When the cause of a fever remains unexplained it is termed a pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO).
Pathology
Aetiology
- infection (~70% cases)
-
malignancy
- classic pyrogenic tumours 2: renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma, acute/chronic myeloid leukaemia, soft tissue sarcoma, necrosis in any large tumour or metastasis
- medication: drug fever
- inflammatory disease: many diseases, including granulomatous (e.g. sarcoidosis), vasculitides, and autoimmune (e.g. hepatitis)
- recreational drugs, e.g. MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine, amphetamines, LSD, mephedrone
- brain insult: trauma, ischaemia, cerebral haemorrhage
- endocrine (rare): thyrotoxicosis, phaeochromocytoma, hypoadrenalism
-<p><strong>Pyrexia</strong> (or <strong>fever</strong>) is a clinical sign, indicated by an abnormally elevated core body temperature, which is defined by several medical societies as <strong>≥38.3°C </strong>(≥≈101°F). The temperature elevation may be persistent or episodic. If the body temperature is greater than 41.5°C - a rare phenomenon - it is known as <a href="/articles/hyperpyrexia">hyperpyrexia</a>.</p><p>The commonest cause of fever is infection, in one study of hospital inpatients accounting for ~70% cases <sup>1</sup>. Other frequent causes are inflammatory disease, malignancies and medication-related fevers. Pyrogenic is the term used for anything that causes pyrexia (cf. pyogenic: pus-forming). When the cause of a fever remains unexplained it is termed a <a href="/articles/pyrexia-of-unknown-origin">pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO)</a>.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><ul>- +<p><strong>Pyrexia</strong> (or <strong>fever</strong>) is a clinical sign, indicated by an abnormally elevated core body temperature, which is defined by several medical societies as <strong>≥38.3°C </strong>(≥≈101°F). The temperature elevation may be persistent or episodic. If the body temperature is greater than 41.5°C - a rare phenomenon - it is known as <a href="/articles/hyperpyrexia">hyperpyrexia</a>.</p><p>The commonest cause of fever is infection, in one study of hospital inpatients accounting for ~70% cases <sup>1</sup>. Other frequent causes are inflammatory disease, malignancies and medication-related fevers. Pyrogenic is the term used for anything that causes pyrexia (cf. pyogenic: pus-forming). A treatment that directly lowers the body temperature is an antipyretic. When the cause of a fever remains unexplained it is termed a <a href="/articles/pyrexia-of-unknown-origin">pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO)</a>.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><ul>
-<li>inflammatory disease: many diseases, including <a title="Granulomatous inflammation" href="/articles/granuloma">granulomatous</a> (e.g. <a href="/articles/sarcoidosis-1">sarcoidosis</a>), <a href="/articles/vasculitis">vasculitides</a>, and autoimmune (e.g. <a href="/articles/autoimmune-hepatitis">hepatitis</a>)</li>- +<li>inflammatory disease: many diseases, including <a href="/articles/granuloma">granulomatous</a> (e.g. <a href="/articles/sarcoidosis-1">sarcoidosis</a>), <a href="/articles/vasculitis">vasculitides</a>, and autoimmune (e.g. <a href="/articles/autoimmune-hepatitis">hepatitis</a>)</li>