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Related Experiment Videos

Fever in the elderly.

D C Norman1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, University of California of Los Angeles School of Medicine, and Veterans' Affairs-Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Dean.Norman@Med.VA.Gov

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|July 29, 2000
PubMed
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Fever may be absent in elderly infections, delaying diagnosis. However, fever in older adults often signals serious infections and FUO is frequently treatable.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Infections in the elderly can present atypically, differing from younger populations.
  • Fever, a key infection indicator, may be absent or blunted in 20%-30% of geriatric cases.
  • Delayed diagnosis in elderly patients with atypical infections increases morbidity and mortality risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the atypical presentation of infections in the elderly.
  • To emphasize the diagnostic challenges posed by blunted fever responses in geriatric patients.
  • To underscore the significance of fever in older adults as an indicator of severe illness.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical presentations of infections in the elderly.
  • Analysis of fever patterns in geriatric patients compared to younger individuals.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Evaluation of diagnostic approaches for fever of unknown origin (FUO) in older adults.

    • Main Results:

    • Fever is absent or blunted in a significant portion of elderly patients with infections.
    • A blunted fever response can lead to diagnostic delays.
    • Fever in geriatric patients is more indicative of serious bacterial or viral infections.
    • The majority of FUO cases in the elderly are diagnosable and often linked to treatable conditions.

    Conclusions:

    • Recognizing atypical infection symptoms, including absent fever, is crucial for timely diagnosis in the elderly.
    • Fever in older adults warrants thorough investigation due to its association with severe infections.
    • Fever of unknown origin in the elderly is a common diagnostic challenge but frequently associated with treatable causes.