Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42279217›Full record

ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2026

Possible Gastroenterological Causes of FUO (Fever of Unknown Origin).

Oliwia Cichy, Aleksandra Wojno, Agata Wojno, Anna Karwowska, Olgierd Dróżdż, Maciej Rabczyński, Katarzyna Madziarska

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Oliwia CichyStudent Scientific Association, Clinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
Aleksandra WojnoStudent Scientific Association, Clinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.ORCID 0009-0001-9461-9204
Agata WojnoStudent Scientific Association, Clinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.ORCID 0009-0003-8008-3706
Anna KarwowskaStudent Scientific Association, Clinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.ORCID 0009-0001-3157-204X
Olgierd DróżdżClinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
Maciej RabczyńskiClinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
Katarzyna MadziarskaClinical Department of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Institute of Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-3624-3691

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) remains a persistent diagnostic challenge in clinical medicine despite significant advances in laboratory testing and imaging techniques. The definition of FUO has evolved since the original criteria proposed in 1961 and currently refers to persistent fever exceeding approximately 38.2-38.3 °C without a definitive diagnosis after an adequate diagnostic evaluation. Gastrointestinal diseases represent an important but often underrecognized group of conditions associated with FUO. The aim of this review is to synthesize current evidence on the gastroenterological causes of FUO, with particular emphasis on pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnostic strategies, and therapeutic management. The analysis highlights the role of inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic gastrointestinal disorders in the etiology of prolonged fever. Key mechanisms involve systemic inflammatory responses mediated by cytokines such as interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor, as well as immune processes associated with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and interactions between intestinal microbiota and host immunity. Among the most frequently reported gastroenterological causes of FUO are inflammatory bowel diseases, intra-abdominal infections and abscesses, hepatobiliary disorders, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal malignancies. Diagnostic evaluation requires a stepwise approach integrating laboratory testing, microbiological studies, imaging modalities, and endoscopic procedures, with advanced techniques such as computed tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography improving detection of occult inflammatory or neoplastic processes. Therapeutic management is primarily guided by the identification of the underlying cause, while empirical treatment should be carefully considered to avoid masking diagnostic clues. A better understanding of the gastrointestinal mechanisms underlying FUO and the development of more efficient diagnostic algorithms may improve clinical outcomes and reduce the number of undiagnosed cases.

Indexed as

diagnostic algorithmsfever of unknown origingastrointestinal diseasesgastrointestinal malignanciesgut-associated lymphoid tissueinflammatory bowel diseaseintra-abdominal infections

Identifiers

PMID42279217
PMCPMC13258763

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.