CURRENT FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN 1982-1992

Since its first rigid definition in 1961 by Petersdorf and Beeson, fev er of unknown origin (FUO) has been a major clinical challenge. In thi s clinical investigation, a retrospective study was conducted on 153 p atients meeting the classic criteria of FUO. Collagen-vascular disease was found to be the most common cause of FUO, a change since our last study conducted from 1971 to 1982, replacing infection as the most co mmon disease category of FUO. FUO in elderly patients was also analyze d. By comparing previously documented studies, we observed a new varia tion in the diseases that are possible causes of FUO. This report will define the present status of FUO in Japan, as well as a comparison wi th our previous study and other documented studies to determine the sh ift in the spectrum of diseases causing FUO.