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What causes febrile intoxication syndrome?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Fever accompanied by intoxication is typical for most bacterial, viral and protozoal infectious diseases, generalized mycoses. It is possible with helminthic invasions (opisthorchiasis, trichinosis, schistosomiasis). Fever-intoxication syndrome is not typical for cholera, botulism, viral hepatitis B and viral hepatitis C, uncomplicated amoebiasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, giardiasis, localized mycoses and many helminthic invasions.
The level of fever generally reflects the severity of the disease. Fever may be absent or subfebrile in mild cases of many diarrheal and acute respiratory infections.
In most cases, febrile intoxication syndrome is accompanied by specific symptoms of a certain nosoform (rash, polyadenitis, arthritis, catarrhal-respiratory, hepatosplenic, meningeal, dyspeptic syndromes, etc.). In the absence of these symptom complexes, patients are subject to hospitalization and examination in the diagnostic department. The medical history, epidemiological history (contact with febrile patients, travel to regions where malaria, tropical fevers, typhoid-paratyphoid diseases are common) are clarified. The following studies are carried out: three-hour thermometry to clarify the type of temperature curve, general blood and urine tests, chest X-ray. malaria test (smear, "thick drop" of blood), blood culture on "sugar broth" and Rappoport medium. In the absence of positive results, the next stage includes an in-depth examination to rule out tuberculosis (Mantoux test, consultation with a phthisiatrician), sepsis (repeat blood culture), infective endocarditis (ultrasound of the heart), severe local suppurative processes (ultrasound of the abdominal organs, pelvis and kidneys), non-specific connective tissue diseases (large collagenoses) - blood for LE cells, antinuclear antibodies, C-reactive protein (CRP), oncological diseases (oncohematology, lymphomas, myelomas) - protein and protein fractions, sternal puncture, radiography of flat bones, central thermoregulation disorder (EEG, consultation with a neurologist), hyperthyroidism (thyroid hormones, consultation with an endocrinologist). The results of three-hour thermometry allow us to specify the time of the minimum and maximum level of body temperature and to determine the remittent, hectic, intermittent or irregular types of temperature curve, repeated increases in body temperature during the day, characteristic of brucellosis and sepsis.