title: Fever of unknown origin.
abstract: The causes of fever in a child can vary from minor brief illnesses to life-threatening infectious, malignant, or autoimmune diseases. The physician often has to evaluate children with fevers of as yet undiagnosed cause lasting fewer than 2 weeks, in whom it is important to determine whether localizing findings are present. Fever without localizing signs and fevers complicating chronic disease and resulting from specific localized infection are considered in the sections concerning infectious causes, immunodeficiency diseases, and rheumatic diseases. The diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the child with both prolonged fever and fever of unknown origin are then discussed, with emphasis on rheumatic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Szer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yogev
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications; D010808:Physical Examination; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000150:complications