Current Fever

What Causes Fever?

Fever can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'life-threatening'.  Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms.  In order to diagnose fever, we could:

  • Research the topic
  • Find a doctor with the time
  • Use a diagnostic computer system.
The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "fever" as a symptom.  Here are eight possibilities:
  • Sepsis
  • Infectious Mononucleosis
  • Cold Or Flu
  • Pneumonia
  • Gallbladder Disease
  • Myocarditis
  • West Nile Virus
  • Gastroenteritis

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
frequent episodes of diarrhea
severe muscle weakness
recent onset abdominal pain
elevated lymphocyte count
occasional rapid, shallow breathing
slightly pale stools
enlarged liver
blue/bluish fingernails
highly elevated lymphocyte count
loss of appetite
frequent painful inguinal nodes
recent onset vomiting
... and more than 70 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of fever:
Cause Probability Status
Gallbladder Disease 97% Confirm
Cold Or Flu 23% Unlikely
Sepsis 15% Unlikely
Gastroenteritis 1% Ruled out
West Nile Virus 0% Ruled out
Myocarditis 0% Ruled out
Infectious Mononucleosis 0% Ruled out
Pneumonia 0% Ruled out
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Metabolic Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about Current Fever:
Do you currently have a fever? If you do, try to rate your average temperature.
Possible responses:
→ Don't know
→ No
→ Mild fever, 99-100°F (37.2-37.8°C)
→ Moderate fever, 100.1-103°F (37.8-39.4°C)
→ High fever, usually over 103°F (39.4°C)
Based on your response to this question, which may indicate not having a fever, having a slight fever, having a moderate fever or having a high fever, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:
Infectious Mononucleosis - Mono

A low grade fever occurs at first, and then rises to above 100°F after the third or fourth day.

Pneumonia

The common symptoms of pneumonia include fever.

Concerned or curious about your health?  Try The Analyst™
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