Continuous fever explained

Continuous fever is a type or pattern of fever in which temperature does not touch the baseline and remains above normal throughout the day. The variation between maximum and minimum temperature in 24 hours is less than 1°C (1.5°F).^[1] It usually occurs due to some infectious disease. Diagnosis of continuous fever is usually based on the clinical signs and symptoms but some biological tests, chest X-ray and CT scan are also used.^[2] Typhoid fever is an example of continuous fever and it shows a characteristic step-ladder pattern, a step-wise increase in temperature with a high plateau.

Examples

Continuous fever is manifested in following diseases.^{[3] [4] [5]}

• Typhoid fever
• Fungal diseases.

Management

Management is usually symptomatic. Antipyretics like ibuprofen and paracetamol are used for lowering body temperature and body aches.^[6] Antibiotics are also recommended for treating infectious diseases. Antibiotics used in treatment of infectious diseases include chloramphenicol, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and amikacin.^[7]

See also

• Intermittent fever
• Relapsing fever
• Undulant fever
• Remittent fever
• Neutropenic fever

Notes and References

1. Ogoina D . Fever, fever patterns and diseases called 'fever' – a review . Journal of Infection and Public Health . 4 . 3 . 108–24 . August 2011 . 21843857 . 10.1016/j.jiph.2011.05.002 . free .
2. Haider Z, Tsigrelis C, Baddour LM . 65-year-old man with persistent fever . Mayo Clinic Proceedings . 84 . 11 . 1017–20 . November 2009 . 19880692 . 2770913 . 10.1016/S0025-6196(11)60672-1 .
3. Web site: Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations . 28 January 1990 . 21250166 . Walker . Hall . Hurst . vanc . Butterworths . J. Willis . W. Dallas . H. Kenneth . Dall . L. . Stanford . J. F. . Walker . H. K. . Hall . W. D. . Hurst . J. W. .
4. Web site: Robert . Herriman . vanc . Sri Lanka dengue fever epidemic 2017 . Outbreak News Today . 3 January 2018 .
5. Web site: Robert . Herriman . vanc . Vietnam reports increase in dengue cases in 2017 . Outbreak News Today . 23 January 2018 .
6. Perrott DA, Piira T, Goodenough B, Champion GD . Efficacy and safety of acetaminophen vs ibuprofen for treating children's pain or fever: a meta-analysis . Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine . 158 . 6 . 521–26 . 2004 . 15184213 . 10.1001/archpedi.158.6.521 .
7. Kalra SP, Naithani N, Mehta SR, Swamy AJ . Current Trends in the Management of Typhoid Fever . Medical Journal, Armed Forces India . 59 . 2 . 130–35 . April 2003 . 27407487 . 4923770 . 10.1016/S0377-1237(03)80060-6 .