The Clinical Significance of Fever in Hodgkin's Disease

Fever is a frequent manifestation of Hodgkin's disease occurring in 30% to 60% of patients during the course of their disease.1,2The presence of fever presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Fever is recognized as an intrinsic part of the clinical picture of Hodgkin's disease3but increased susceptibility to infections also is present.1,4Therefore, the physician must determine whether or not fever is due to infection and act accordingly. Indiscriminate administration of antibiotics to such patients in the absence of infection is of no benefit and may actually be harmful.5Therefore distinction between fever due to infection (FI) and fever apparently due to the disease itself (fever of Hodgkin's disease, FHD) is of practical significance as well as of academic interest. In this study we attempted to find specific parameters which might help in differentiating FI from FHD. One hundred and twenty-four febrile episodes which developed between diagnosis and death