Fever patterns
| FEVER TYPE | FEVER PATTERN |
|---|---|
| Prolonged fever | • Single episode in which duration of fever is longer than expected for the clinical diagnosis (eg, viral syndrome lasting > 10 d) |
| Or | |
| • Single episode in which fever was initially a prominent feature but then becomes low grade or only a perceived problem | |
| Fever of unknown origin | • Single episode lasting > 3 wk during which fever is > 38.3°C on most days; diagnosis remains uncertain after 1 wk of intense evaluation |
| Recurrent fever | • Single episode during which signs (including fever) and symptoms wax and wane |
| Or | |
| • Repeated unrelated febrile episodes involving a single organ system (eg, sinopulmonary, urinary tract) | |
| Or | |
| • Repeated febrile episodes occurring at irregular intervals involving different organ systems in which fever is one variable component | |
| Periodic fever | • Recurring episodes (with either strict periodicity or irregular intervals) lasting days to weeks in which fever is the cardinal feature and other associated features are similar and predictable; intervening intervals of weeks to months characterized by complete well-being |
Adapted from Long.3