[Chinese literature review of etiology distribution of adult patients with fever of unknown origin from 1979 to 2012]

Abstract

Objective: To review the etiology of 10 201 adult patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) in China from 1979 to 2012, and to compare the reasons between the South and the North of China, and to illustrate the change in different periods.

Methods: Literatures containing key word "fever of unknown origin" were selected in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database from 1979 to 2012. Articles were excluded if patient population were less than 100. Diagnostic criteria of FUO were confirmed by the standard of Petersdorf and Beeson in 1961. Totally 43 literatures including 10 201 patients were enrolled in this study. The period of the literatures were divided into the early, middle and later period, and the regions were partitioned into the South and the North.

Results: A total of 42 articles (including 9787 patients) provided the gender information with 5063 men and 4724 women. The etiologies of 10 201 FUO patients included infectious diseases (53.5%), rheumatic diseases (20.1%) and tumor (12.0%). The positive diagnostic rate was 91.8%. Tuberculosis (23.8%) was the most common reason in infectious diseases. Adult Still's disease (7.0%) was the most common cause of FUO among rheumatic diseases. Lymphoma (3.4%) was the most common tumor in FUO patients. Besides, drug-induced fever (1.7%) should also be considered. In the recent 30 years, the proportion of FUO caused by infectious diseases had decreased, rheumatic diseases and other reason had increased (P < 0.05). The proportion of tumor in middle period was significantly higher than that in the early and later period (P < 0.05). The negative diagnostic rate had increased (all P < 0.05). The proportion of infectious diseases in North China was significantly lower than that in the South (P < 0.05). The proportion of other reason was significantly higher in the North (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: In the recent 30 years, the most common cause of FUO was still infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis.