Avances diagnósticos en la fiebre de origen desconocido: una revisión bibliográfica

Abstract

The fever of unknown origin, first defined in 1961 by Petersdorf and Beeson, represents a continuous clinical challenge for physicians. In more than half of cases, a definite diagnosis is not achieved. It can be classified into four general categories based on its etiology: infectious, rheumatic-inflammatory, neoplastic, or miscellaneous disorders. Each type of illness presents symptoms, clinical signs, and laboratory findings that are not specific to any individual. The task for healthcare professionals is to identify these distinctive clinical features and correctly interpret their significance in order to arrive at possible differential diagnoses. To address this diagnostic challenge, new methods have been developed, such as positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose, next-generation metagenomic sequencing, and genetic studies such as whole exome sequencing. These techniques have proven to be effective in identifying the underlying cause in cases of fever of unknown origin.