Pyrexia

[Captain Dave]

Got the history card of a chap on behalf of my mother today, in it it records he had Pyrexia. What on earth is this?

It also abbreviates NYD, which I assume means not yet diagnosed and had the abbreviation of PUD, any ideas?

Cheers

Dave.

[Stephen Nulty]

Dave

A quick google reveals

"Fever: a documented body temperature higher than 38 degrees C., or 100.4 degrees F."

Steve

[BRIAN TALMER]

Pyrexia is a rise in body temperature, above normal which is usually associated with an infection. Not sure about PUD - I've come across PUO which means pyrexia of unkown origin. Could it be this? It usually means an infection is present but the cause unkown

hope this helps

Lesley

[gem22]

NYD- Not Yet Diagnosed. Goes hand in hand with PUO - Pyrexia (fever) of Unknown Origin.

Could be a common cold, flu, or something else.

Garth

[Robert Dunlop]

Garth

Not quite hand-in-hand. PUO refers to a pyrexia (fever) that has been present for a period of time. The definition is designed to exclude typical shortlived feverish episodes associated with the common infections like the common cold. Thus a PUO is synonymous with 'pyrexia not yet diagnosed' provided you add the caveat about the duration of the fever; you can have an acute fever where the cause is not clear.

Robert

[DaveDocDavies]

"Fever of Unknown Origin" (as it is currently named) as Robert states indicates a disease state, not yet identified, causing fever above 38-C / 100.4-F for three weeks.

The thinking being: a self-limited viral process, localized skin abscess, bladder/kidney/prostate/lung bacterial infection would either resolve or develope more characteristic symptoms / appearance to correctly diagnose it within the 3 week period.

The "smoldering", low-grade infections manifesting in poor-hygiene, poorly nourished trench soldiers would fall in the PUO basket. Tick/flea-borne illnesses, TB, rheumatic fever, etc can now be diagnosed ... but, weren't well understood then.

Doc D