‘Docs should focus on history of fever before prescribing drugs’

LUCKNOW: Up to 90% cases of fever were self limiting, said experts at the 3rd American College of Physicians Conference on Sunday. Therefore, they said, it was important to know the cause of fever.

“Fevers can be treated with minimum drugs and no investigation. Its history indicates the cause, so, before prescribing drugs or tests, doctors should focus on the history of fever,” said Prof NS Verma, the organising chairman of the programme, adding that a doctor should be least focused on prescribing tests in such cases.

Dr Verma said that patients too should cooperate and record their fever history instead of looking up disease symptoms on the internet.

Prof SK Das, head of rheumatology department at KGMU, addressed the conference as well. He said that osteoarthritis troubled about 50% diabetics and up to 27% heart disease patients.

DR TALWAR STRESSED ON THE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN CHEST PAIN AND HEART ATTACK

“Patients with osteoarthritis as well as heart disease or diabetes are at the risk of early death,” he said. The subjects highlighted on the second day of the conference included cardiology and heart diseases, diabetes and related advances and Yog.

Dr KK Talwar spoke about heart attack and its symptoms. He stressed on the need to be able to differentiate between chest pain and heart attack. “Those people whose parents experienced heart problems before reaching the age of 55 years, should be cautious. Heart problems could trouble them as well,” he said. Dr Anuj Maheshwari, organising secretary of the programme, informed that over 1,100 participants from different countries attended the conference.