Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) can be caused by four etiological categories of diseases. The most common cause of FUO in children is represented by infections, followed by inflammatory conditions and neoplastic causes; a decreasing quote remains still without diagnosis. Despite the fact that several...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/1/20 |
| _version_ | 1827372577014677504 |
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| author | Sandra Trapani Adele Fiordelisi Mariangela Stinco Massimo Resti |
| author_facet | Sandra Trapani Adele Fiordelisi Mariangela Stinco Massimo Resti |
| author_sort | Sandra Trapani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fever of unknown origin (FUO) can be caused by four etiological categories of diseases. The most common cause of FUO in children is represented by infections, followed by inflammatory conditions and neoplastic causes; a decreasing quote remains still without diagnosis. Despite the fact that several diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been proposed since the first definition of FUO, none of them has been fully validated in pediatric populations. A focused review of the patient’s history and a thorough physical examination may offer helpful hints in suggesting a likely diagnosis. The diagnostic algorithm should proceed sequentially, and invasive testing should be performed only in select cases, possibly targeted by a diagnostic suspect. Pioneering serum biomarkers have been developed and validated; however, they are still far from becoming part of routine clinical practice. Novel noninvasive imaging techniques have shown promising diagnostic accuracy; however, their positioning in the diagnostic algorithm of pediatric FUO is still not clear. This narrative review aims to provide a synopsis of the existent literature on FUO in children, with its major causes and possible diagnostic workup, to help the clinician tackle the complex spectrum of pediatric FUO in everyday clinical practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:01:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0dce461096c6442b9fb0f183f98a3b7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:01:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-0dce461096c6442b9fb0f183f98a3b7f2024-01-26T15:46:34ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-12-011112010.3390/children11010020Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical ApproachSandra Trapani0Adele Fiordelisi1Mariangela Stinco2Massimo Resti3Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, ItalyPediatric Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 50139 Florence, ItalyLiver Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 50139 Florence, ItalyPediatric Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital IRCCS, 50139 Florence, ItalyFever of unknown origin (FUO) can be caused by four etiological categories of diseases. The most common cause of FUO in children is represented by infections, followed by inflammatory conditions and neoplastic causes; a decreasing quote remains still without diagnosis. Despite the fact that several diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been proposed since the first definition of FUO, none of them has been fully validated in pediatric populations. A focused review of the patient’s history and a thorough physical examination may offer helpful hints in suggesting a likely diagnosis. The diagnostic algorithm should proceed sequentially, and invasive testing should be performed only in select cases, possibly targeted by a diagnostic suspect. Pioneering serum biomarkers have been developed and validated; however, they are still far from becoming part of routine clinical practice. Novel noninvasive imaging techniques have shown promising diagnostic accuracy; however, their positioning in the diagnostic algorithm of pediatric FUO is still not clear. This narrative review aims to provide a synopsis of the existent literature on FUO in children, with its major causes and possible diagnostic workup, to help the clinician tackle the complex spectrum of pediatric FUO in everyday clinical practice.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/1/20fever of unknown origininfectiousinflammatoryneoplasticchildrenworkup |
| spellingShingle | Sandra Trapani Adele Fiordelisi Mariangela Stinco Massimo Resti Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach Children fever of unknown origin infectious inflammatory neoplastic children workup |
| title | Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach |
| title_full | Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach |
| title_fullStr | Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach |
| title_short | Update on Fever of Unknown Origin in Children: Focus on Etiologies and Clinical Approach |
| title_sort | update on fever of unknown origin in children focus on etiologies and clinical approach |
| topic | fever of unknown origin infectious inflammatory neoplastic children workup |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/1/20 |
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