title: The course of fever during treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: We studied 161 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: 55 (34%) were afebrile and 106 (66%) were febrile at presentation. Febrile patients were younger and more symptomatic than afebrile individuals. Fever was also associated with a higher incidence of lymphopenia, hyponatraemia, hypoalbuminaemia and many acid-fast bacilli on sputum smear. Most patients were treated with isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide. Of 83 individuals who became afebrile while in hospital, 74 (89%) did so within a week and 77 (93%) in 2 weeks. Prolonged fever was associated with alcoholism, anaemia, hyponatraemia and hypoalbuminaemia. A therapeutic trial of antituberculosis drugs may be more useful than has been previously thought, since in most patients the temperature falls to normal within 2 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, LAC-USC Medical Center 90033.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007010:Hyponatremia / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000172:deficiency; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin