RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cotton Fever: A Condition Self-Diagnosed by IV Drug Users
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 276
OP 279
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2016.02.150267
VO 29
IS 2
A1 Ashley Michelle Zerr
A1 Kimberly Ku
A1 Areeba Kara
YR 2016
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/29/2/276.abstract
AB The presentation of fever in an intravenous drug user prompts diagnostic testing targeted at identifying infectious etiologies. However, an alternate diagnosis exists in “cotton fever.” While few reports describe this phenomenon in the peer-reviewed literature, the diagnosis is well recognized among the intravenous drug user community. Although its etiology is not well understood, cotton fever seems to be a self-limited, febrile response to the intravenous administration of a drug filtered through cotton. Educating clinicians regarding cotton fever may limit unnecessary hospital admissions and improve our ability to care for this population.