Diagnostic value of common inflammatory markers on fever of unknown origin

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of common inflammatory markers on fever of unknown origin (FUO). We investigated 383 patients with FUO hospitalized at the Henan Province People’s hospital between January 2009 and June 2015. Of all the cases, infectious diseases accounted for 33.9%, neoplasms 21.1%, collagen vascular diseases 25.1%, miscellaneous diseases 4.7% and no diagnosis 15.1%. Patients in neoplasm group is older than that in infectious disease, collagen vascular disease and miscellaneous disease group (p=0.006, p<0.0001, p=0.001). The duration of fever before admission of neoplasm group and collagen vascular disease group is longer than that of infectious disease group (p=0.002, p=0.007). The diagnostic time after admission of neoplasm group and collagen vascular disease group is longer than that of infectious disease group (both p<0.0001 ). Serum ferritin levels of infectious disease group showed lower than that of neoplasm group and collagen vascular disease group (p=0.029, p=0.032), while serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels of infectious disease group was higher than that of neoplasm and collagen vascular disease group (p=0.016, p=0.007). Therefore, FUO remains a clinical problem in China and serum ferritin and PCT may be useful in discriminating infectious from non-infectious causes (neoplasms and collagen vascular diseases) in patients with FUO.