Key diagnostic characteristics of fever of unknown origin in Japanese patients: a prospective multicentre study

Autor: Satoshi Suzuki, Susumu Tazuma, Toshio Naito, Mika Tanei, Nobuhiro Ikeda, Toshihiro Ishii, Tomio Suzuki, Hiroyuki Morita, Sho Yamasaki, Jun'ichi Tamura, Kenichiro Akazawa, Koji Yamamoto, Hiroshi Otani, Motoo Kikuchi, Shiro Ono, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Hozuka Akita
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMJ Open, Vol 9, Iss 11 (2019)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2044-6055
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032059
Popis: Objective To identify the key diagnostic features and causes of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in Japanese patients.Design Multicentre prospective study.Setting Sixteen hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Society of Hospital General Medicine, covering the East and West regions of Japan.Participants Patient aged ≥20 years diagnosed with classic FUO (axillary temperature≥38.0°C at least twice within a 3-week period, cause unknown after three outpatient visits or 3 days of hospitalisation). A total of 141 cases met the criteria and were recruited from January 2016 to December 2017.Intervention Japanese standard diagnostic examinations.Outcome measures Data collected include usual biochemical blood tests, inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive (CRP) protein level, procalcitonin level), imaging results, autopsy findings (if performed) and final diagnosis.Results The most frequent age group was 65–79 years old (mean: 58.6±9.1 years). The most frequent cause of FUO was non-infectious inflammatory disease. After a 6-month follow-up period, 21.3% of cases remained undiagnosed. The types of diseases causing FUO were significantly correlated with age and prognosis. Between patients with and without a final diagnosis, there was no difference in CRP level between patients with and without a final diagnosis (p=0.121). A significant difference in diagnosis of a causative disease was found between patients who did or did not receive an ESR test (p=0.041). Of the 35 patients with an abnormal ESR value, 28 (80%) had causative disease identified.Conclusions Age may be a key factor in the differential diagnosis of FUO; the ESR test may be of value in the FUO evaluation process. These results may provide clinicians with insight into the management of FUO to allow adequate treatment according to the cause of the disease.
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