Fever: Temperature above 100.4-101⁰ F or 37.5-38⁰ C usually defines a fever. Fever is a common concern in hospital patients, with some studies showing up to 1/3 of patients developing a fever during their stay.
Sometimes the source of fever is obvious. If a patient exhibits rapid breathing (tachypnea), cough, and lung crackles or wheeze, pneumonia is the most probable cause. With painful urination (dysuria), flank or low abdominal pain above the pubic bone (suprapubic pain), and darkening of urine, a urinary tract infection (UTI) is first considered. To round out the most common causes of fever in hospitalized patients, if your patient shows skin redness or swelling, pus discharge, or painful/hot skin, a skin and soft tissue infection is probable. Bone infection (osteomyelitis) is another infectious cause of fever that can be difficult to diagnose.
Our SNF IDS specialists can help you or your staff identify both infectious and noninfectious sources of fever. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) without an infection can explain fevers.
Some examples of noninfectious fever etiology include:
- Autoimmune or rheumatic diseases such as lupus or vasculitis (inflamed blood vessels)
- Neurogenic (from the central nervous system) fever from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or intercranial bleeding
- Venous thromboembolism or blood clots in the veins
- Thyroid storm or thyrotoxicosis (fast heartbeat, fever, fainting)
- Gout or other so-called crystal-induced arthropathies
- Drug-induced fevers, such as from antibiotics or drugs for abnormal heart rhythms (antiarrhythmics)
Leukocytosis: A white blood cell count above 11,000 per microliter defines leukocytosis. As with fevers, our specialists help determine whether or not the cause is infectious and ensure that you or you patient receives appropriate workup and treatment.
Examples of noninfectious leukocytosis:
- Cancers such as leukemia
- Stressors such as surgery or emotional stress
- Asplenia (the absence of a spleen)
- Medications like corticosteroids or albuterol
- Chronic inflammation such as in ulcerative colitis or vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation)
If you would like to learn more about how IDS specialists can help you or your hospital facility determine the causes of fever and leukocytosis, request an appointment today online or call (833) 967-2464.
