Pel-Ebstein fever
| Pel-Ebstein fever | |
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| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 446: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| eMedicine | med/1770 |
| Patient UK | Pel-Ebstein fever |
Pel-Ebstein fever, also known as Ebstein-Cardarelli fever,[1] is a rarely seen condition noted in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in which the patient experiences fevers which cyclically increase then decrease over an average period of one or two weeks.[2] A cyclic fever may also be associated with other conditions, but it is not called "Pel-Ebstein fever" unless the fever is associated with Hodgkin's.[3]
Contents
Causes
The cause is currently unknown although speculation centers on host immune response - particularly the cyclical release of cytokines, lymph node necrosis, and damaged stromal cells.[4]
Treatment
Treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents or treatment of the underlying Hodgkin's (usually with chemotherapy) will help the symptoms.[2]
Eponym
The condition is named after Wilhelm Ebstein and P.K. Pel who both published papers in 1887 noting the phenomenon.[5][6][7] Both doctors published in the same journal, though Pel published first by several months. Interestingly, a long-term dispute persisted between Pel and Ebstein on the etiology of the condition.
Controversy
Researchers have speculated whether this condition truly exists, since some authorities anecdotally estimate only a 5-10% occurrence rate.[3] In his Lettsomian Lecture Making Sense, delivered to the Medical Society of London in 1959, Richard Asher refers to Pel-Ebstein fever as an example of a condition that exists only because it has a name. "Every student and every doctor knows that cases of Hodgkin's disease may show a fever that is high for one week and low for the next week and so on. Does this phenomenon really exist at all?..." [8]
References
- ↑ G.Fradà- Semeiotica Medica nell' adulto e nell'anziano. Piccin p.48
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ synd/438 at Who Named It?
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. They cite Richard Asher's lecture Making Sense (Lancet, 1959, 2, 359)
