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. 2015 Dec;9(12):DC22-4.
doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2015/11168.6990. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

Aetiologies of Acute Undifferentiated Febrile illness in Adult Patients - an Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India

Garima Mittal  1 , Sohaib Ahmad  2 , R K Agarwal  3 , Minakshi Dhar  2 , Manish Mittal  4 , Shiwani Sharma  5
Affiliations

Aetiologies of Acute Undifferentiated Febrile illness in Adult Patients - an Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India

Garima Mittal et al. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is a common clinical entity in most of the hospitals. The fever can be potentially fatal if the aetiology is not recognized and appropriately treated early.

Aim: To describe the aetiology of fever among patients in a tertiary care hospital in Northern India.

Materials and methods: A one-year retro-prospective, observational study was conducted in adults (age>18years) presenting with undifferentiated febrile illness (of duration 5-14 days). Diagnosis was confirmed by suitable laboratory tests after exhaustive clinical examination.

Results: A total of 2547 patients with AUFI were evaluated. Of these, 1663 (65.3%) were males and 884 (34.7%) were females. Dengue (37.54%); enteric fever (16.5%); scrub typhus (14.42%); bacterial sepsis (10.3%); malaria (6.8%); hepatitis A (1.9%); hepatitis E (1.4%); leptospirosis (0.14%); were the main infections while no specific diagnosis could be delineated in 11%. Mixed infections were noted in 48 (1.9%) patients.

Conclusion: A good clinical acumen supported by the basic investigations can help diagnose the cause of fever with reasonable certainty.

Keywords: Dengue; Malaria; Scrub typhus; Typhoid.

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Figures

[Table/Fig-1]:
[Table/Fig-1]:
Aetiological pattern of febrile patients (total no. =2547)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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