fevers in Huntington's Disease

    
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Posted by CCF NEURO MD on April 25, 1997 at 17:30:22:

In Reply to: fevers in Huntington's Disease posted by Alison R. on April 17, 1997 at 08:48:43:

: Since this past September I have been running a low-grade fever, which never goes above 100 degrees.  In a few months I was incapacited to the point that I had to use a wheelchair.  I was recently diagnosed with Huntington's Disease.  On days where my temperature is low, I feel symptom-free, normal. The rest of the time I am wheel-chair bound. I visited a doctor who says that fevers are not a symptom, and has no medical prescription to help.  I have tried numerous aspirins, tylenol, motrin, every over-the counter fever reducer which doesn't work well.  Does anyone out there have any suggestions?  ARubinson.
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Hello Alison,
Fever is usually seen in the presence of an infection.  The first step in the evaluation of fever is a careful methodical search for evidence of infection  by an internist or an infectious disease consultant.  If after a thorough evalaution is performed over a period of time and no source of the fever is found then the term "fever of unknown origin" is used.  Some of the more uncommon sources of fever include drug-induced fever (many drugs can produce fever as aside-effect), neuroleptic malignant syndrome (also produced by certain drugs especially the class of drugs called neuroleptics.)  Some of the medications used in movement disorders such as Huntington's disease can cause neuroleptic malignant syndrome.  This is a disorder characterized by confusion, stiffness of muscles, dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (which controls the pulse rate, blood pressure etc.)  A blood test called CPK level is usually elevated in this disorder.  The hypothalamus is a part of the brain that control
the internal evironment of the body.  Potentially dysfunction of the hypothalamus could cause fevers.  I had not seen nor have I read of this being a problem in Huntington's disease.  Another uncommon cause of fever are some types of cancers.  In summary then I would suggest that you seek an evaluation from an internist or a infectious disease expert to being the intial evaluation.