[Diagnostic approach to prolonged fever (apropos of 72 cases)].

A report of 72 case histories of prolonged feven (more than three weeks, diagnosis not obvious on admission). The writers review the frequency of occurrence of the various etiologies. Infections are the most frequent cause (43 cases). A good number of them are easy to diagnose based on clinical exams and routine tests. Others are a great deal more difficult to diagnose, and in particular deep, suppurative foci. Collagen diseases then follow with 10 cases, the diagnosis of which is made by immunology and histology. Cancers are not very numerous (4 cases) and poorly represent the usual breakdown (kidney, lungs, liver, colon, pancreas). There were no cases of involvement of the blood and reticuloendothelial systems. With regard to examination of these patients, the writers discuss the merits of lymphography and laparatomies, and they set limits to therapeutic tests.