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Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Your doctor will look for an infection or noninfectious cause of your fever based on your other symptoms and a physical exam. You may need tests, such as blood tests, to confirm a diagnosis.

If you have a low-grade fever that persists for three weeks or more, but have no other symptoms, your doctor may recommend a variety of tests to help find the cause. These may include blood tests and X-rays.

References
  1. Manifestations of infection. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec14/ch167/ch167d.html. Accessed April 13, 2009.
  2. Fever. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec19/ch266/ch266i.html. Accessed April 13, 2009.
  3. Torpy J. Fever in infants. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2004;291:1284.
  4. Fever. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/fever/healthprofessional. Accessed April 13, 2009.
  5. Febrile seizures fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febrile_seizures/detail_febrile_seizures.htm. Accessed April 13, 2009.
  6. Richardson M, et al. Assessment and initial management of feverish illness in children younger than 5 years: Summary of NICE guidance. British Medical Journal. 2007;334:1163.
  7. O'Grady N, et al. Guidelines for evaluation of new fever in critically ill adult patients: 2008 update from the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Critical Care Medicine, 2008;36:1330.
  8. El-Radhi A. Why is the evidence not affecting the practice of fever management? Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2009;93:918.
  9. Leggett J. Approach to fever or suspected infection in the normal host. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 23nd ed. W. B. Saunders Company, 2007.

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June 6, 2009

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