Rash and fever in the critical care unit.

The approach to the patient with rash and fever is one of the most challenging diagnostic problems frequently faced by clinicians. The differential diagnostic approach is based on a careful analysis of the nature, location, and onset of the rash, as well as epidemiologic information, severity and acuteness of the illness, and the pattern of organ involvement. The clinical syndrome approach permits experienced infectious disease clinicians to make a rapid and accurate diagnosis.