Pel-Ebstein fever

definition

Pel-Ebstein fever is one in medicine feverish rise in temperature with a wavy course. Thereby alternate feverish and fever-free Phases off again and again. The individual phases last for about three to ten days on.

Pel-Ebstein fever does not usually appear as an independent clinical picture, but is a symptom of an underlying disease. Most often it occurs as part of a malignant lymph node cancer on the Hodgkin's disease or Hodgkin lymphoma. However, Hodgkin's lymphoma also often manifests itself without a Pel-Ebstein fever. It is therefore not an obligatory symptom of the disease.

The cause of Pel-Ebstein's fever

The exact cause of the Pel-Ebstein fever is not clear. Since the fever usually occurs in connection with a malignant underlying disease, Hodgkin's disease, it is assumed that the fever is a reaction to a release of signal substances from the Tumor occurs. The degenerated cells can release certain signaling and messenger substances, so-called Cytokineswhich in turn can cause a fever. The wave-like course of the fever could be caused by a cyclical release of such messenger substances

Diagnosis of Pel-Ebstein fever

The diagnosis of Pel-Ebstein fever is comparatively easy to make. The diagnosis is based on clinical observation of the patient. If this person complains about recurring febrile episodes with fever-free intervals in between, this already describes the diagnosis. However, it is important that further diagnostics are carried out in the event of such symptoms in order to find out the cause of the Pel-Ebstein fever. Since this is often a malignant Hodgkin lymphoma, it is essential to examine the patient's lymph node stations. For this purpose, a physical examination is carried out by the doctor on the one hand, and on the other hand can Ultrasonic, Computed Tomography and or Magnetic resonance imaging used to be flashy Lymph nodes to identify.

Symptoms of Pel-Ebstein fever

The typical symptom of Pel-Ebstein fever is a wavy fever with a change more feverish and fever-free episodes of about three to ten days each. The fever can occur as part of the so-called B symptoms with a malignant underlying disease and is then paired with profuse sweating at night (Night sweats) as well as unwanted weight loss of> 10% of body weight within six months

Therapy of Pel-Ebstein fever

Pel-Ebstein fever itself can only be treated symptomatically. Antipyretic agents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used, for example Ibuprofen. Also with Naproxen the fever can be effectively lowered when administered over three days. It is typical that the tumor-related fever can be suppressed by naproxen. However, fever of infectious origin often persists. This phenomenon can be captured as part of a naproxen test, but is not considered a reliable differentiator. Since Pel-Ebstein fever often occurs as part of a malignant underlying disease, treatment of this underlying disease is essential to get the fever under control. The Hodgkin lymphoma is usually by means of chemotherapy and / or treated with radiation. Surgical removal may also be necessary. Once the underlying disease has been treated, the Pel-Ebstein fever also disappears.