fever in the elderly
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Clinical significance
Baseline temperature is generally lower in elderly patients.
Thus often elderly patients with fever do not meet criteria for fever in younger patients.
Some definitions for elderly patients include:
- an increase in temperature of 2 degrees F above baseline
- oral temperature above 99 degrees F
- rectal temperature above 99.5 degrees F
Fever may be absent in as many as 50% of elderly with serious infection[2].
More general terms
Additional terms
References
- ↑ Norman D. In: Intensive Course in Geriatric Medicine & Board Review, Marina Del Ray, CA, Sept 12-15, 2001
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 High KP et al, Clinical practice guidelines for the evaluation of fever and infection in older adult residents of long-term care facilities: 2008 update by the Infectious Disease Society of America. Clin Infect Dis 2009, 48:149 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19072244
- ↑ Geriatric Review Syllabus, 8th edition (GRS8) Durso SC and Sullivan GN (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2013