Answer:
No, not an UFO, an FUO. FUO, or fever of unknown origin, is defined as a fever greater than 38.3°C (100.9°F), documented on several occasions during a period longer than 3 weeks, with an uncertain diagnosis after l week of evaluation in the hospital. If the patient presents for an initial evaluation of a fever, [...]

Answer:
Yes. Although infections are definitely the most common causes of fever, there are numerous other causes. Neoplastic diseases (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors) and collagen vascular diseases (e.g., giant cell arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis) are the second and third most common causes of fever. Other causes include central nervous system lesions [...]

Answer:
No, there is no pathognomonic degree of fever that has been clearly associated with a specific risk of infection in patients, although before the widespread use of the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine, temperatures greater than 41.1°C were associated with a higher incidence of serious bacterial illness. In pediatrics medical decision making, the temperature should be used [...]

Answer:
Trust mothers–they know. Depending on the study, mothers are accurate in assessing the presence or absence of a fever 50% to 80% of the time. They seem to be more accurate at detecting when the child is febrile than they are at determining that the child is afebrile. Most pediatricians believe that fevers reported by [...]

Answer:
Yes. Rectal temperatures are the most accurate representation of core temperatures. Oral, axillary, and tympanic temperatures have considerable variation, and these methods are frequency used and often inaccurate. There is not a correction factor for these alternate modalities to provide a reliable assessment of the core temperature.
Reference: Loveys AA, Dutko-Fioravanti 1, Everly SW, et al: [...]

Answer:
We all wish we only had to remember one number; however, it varies depending on the patient:
1. In infants, 38°C (100.4°F) rectally constitutes a fever.
2. In adults, a temperature of 38.3°C (100.9°F) is a fever.
3. Certain patient populations may be exceptions, and this should be taken into account (e.g., elderly, IV drug users, and immunocompromised [...]

Answer:
Today, many investigators believe that fever is beneficial in fighting disease. Decades ago, before the discovery of antibiotics, experimentation revealed that syphilis could be cured by inducing fevers by infecting a patient with malaria. (Although successful, unless you want a letter from a lawyer, you probably shouldn’t use this form of treatment.) Higher temperatures increase [...]