Publication:

Study of aetiology and clinical spectrum of patients with acute undifferentiated fever, in a tertiary care setting: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background Acute undifferentiated fever illness (AUFI) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, owing to its non-specific features. The aim of the study was to delineate the causes and clinical parameters associated with AUFI.

Methods A cross-sectional study was done among 156 patients of AUFI, admitted in the Department of Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, from November 2018 to October 2019.

Results The mean age of the study participants was 37.37±14.2 years. The study participants admitted for acute undifferentiated febrile illness had fever with mean duration of 8.38±3.7 days before hospitalization. The most common aetiology of AUFI was found to be enteric fever (44%), followed by scrub typhus (35%). The majority of the cases presented from the month of September to December.

Conclusions The aetiology and clinical spectrum of AUFI is wide and variable. To outline a proper algorithm to contain it, meticulous analysis of the hospital data at each level is necessary.