Fever!

Today in morning report we talked about fever.

Elevated body temperature can be caused by many things:

1. Infection- bacterial, viral, parasitic

2. Inflammatory (ie cytokine-related, "bad humours")
- autoimmune conditions
- cancer, especially lymphoma
- pulmonary embolism, thrombophlebitis
- post-endovascular procedure
- transfusion-related (IVIG very commonly)
- serum sickness
- Stevens-Johnson/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
- sarcoidosis
- familial mediterranean fever

3. Heat Stroke

4. Drugs:
- amphetamines and other sympathomimetics
- anticholinergic
- sometimes the antibiotic you are giving can cause fever (eg: tazocin) don't forget about this!

5. Specific hyperthermic drug syndromes:
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- Serotonin syndrome
- Malignant hyperthermia

6. Endocrine
- thyrotoxicosis
- pheochromocytoma

7. CNS hemorrhage


Note that even rhabodymyolysis itself can cause fever- possibly the cause in our patient today. Remember to think about most likely causes, but keep the broad differential in mind!

Have a great day!