2.2. Data collection and processing
Clinical data were obtained from the hospital electronic database. The
patients’ demographic characteristics, vital signs at the time of
admission to ED, examination findings, chronic diseases, and
radiological and laboratory findings were recorded.
The CT images evaluated in the
study had been acquired using a 128-slice CT device (GE Revolution EVO,
USA). The CT findings reported by radiologists were used to evaluate the
results. According to the radiologists’ CT reports, the patients were
divided into two groups according to whether the source of infection was
positive or negative in these reports.
Acute fever of unknown origin was defined as the absence of a history or
physical examination finding that could explain the possible cause of
fever, absence of non-specific symptoms (such as runny nose, cough,
abdominal pain, diarrhea, pain, and burning sensation when urinating),
normal values of parameters that would suggest an infection in the urine
analysis (bacteriuria, pyuria, and nitrite), and absence of infiltration
on chest X-ray. High fever was accepted as a body temperature that was
measured as 38.3 °C or higher in ED at least once during treatment (5).