What are the Possible Causes of 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:

Cold Or Flu
Sepsis
Infectious Mononucleosis
Gastroenteritis
Gallbladder Disease
West Nile Virus
Myocarditis
Pneumonia

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:

acute abdominal pain

unusual current rash

severe periumbilical pain

frequent episodes of diarrhea

sensitivity to bright light

liver/gallbladder cleanses help

meals worsen top-right abdomen pain

weak appetite

highly elevated lymphocyte count

having foamy urine

mild unexplained fevers

frequent rashes

... and more than 80 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
Myocarditis	94%	Confirm
Sepsis	26%	Unlikely
West Nile Virus	25%	Unlikely
Cold Or Flu	1%	Ruled out
Gastroenteritis	0%	Ruled out
Gallbladder Disease	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:

Cold Or Flu

Gallbladder Disease

Gastroenteritis

Infectious Mononucleosis - Mono

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

Myocarditis

Pneumonia

The common symptoms of pneumonia include fever.

Sepsis

West Nile Virus

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™