Fever Profile (Jaundice / Dengue / Malaria)

Fever Profile Test is a panel or package or a group of tests done to assess the cause of fever. The reasons for fever can be of a wide variety. Fever is a symptom caused due to many different diseases. Fever can develop due to a person suffering from malaria, typhoid or any bacterial or viral disease.

The fever profile test panel includes a number of different tests such as the Widal test (for Typhoid), CBC (Complete Blood Count), Complete Urine Examination, Malaria test, etc. It is done by testing the person’s blood and urine samples.

This test is prescribed if the person is suffering from symptoms like chronic fever, fatigue, etc. and the cause of these symptoms is unknown. Fever or pyrexia is a process wherein normal body temperature is raised over the conditions of homeostasis or a state of equilibrium in the body. Although many effects of fever on the immune system have been studied for a long time, the causative factors for several infections are not entirely known. Viruses and bacteria are responsible for a wide range of different infectious diseases. Testing for various parameters may bring you one step closer to identifying the source or origin of the disease, as fever or pyrexia of unknown origin remains to be one of the most debated topics in studies of infectious diseases.

In the Indian subcontinent, the epidemiology of various diseases causing fever is a topic of extensive research. The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that India has 15 million malaria cases, with 19,500–20,000 deaths occurring every year.

The overall estimate of the occurrence and prevalence of dengue infection confirmed by laboratory diagnosis based on testing of more than 200,000 clinically suspected patients from 180 Indian studies was 38.3%. In India, about 494 children per 100,000, in the age group of 5 to 15 years, suffer from typhoid. Epidemiological studies claim that there is a huge burden of bacterial and viral diseases prevalent in India.

Malaria, Typhoid, Dengue

This test is used to detect the cause of infection the person is suffering from the fever and other infection symptoms.

Some of the conditions are listed below:

• Malaria - Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. The symptoms caused by Malaria include fever, tiredness, vomiting and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma or even death.
• Dengue - Dengue fever is also a mosquito-borne infectious disease. Symptoms of this infection include high fever, headache, rashes and muscle & joint pain. In severe cases, there can be serious bleeding and shock, which can be life-threatening. It causes platelets and WBC-TLC to decrease in CBC
• Typhoid - Typhoid is also known as enteric fever. It is a bacterial infection spread by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Symptoms of typhoid fever include fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. This infection is often passed on or spread due to the consumption of contaminated food and water.

This test is prescribed for people who have a chief complaint of prolonged fever and other symptoms which may point towards a diagnosis of infectious diseases.

It can be prescribed for both adults and children and male as well as female patients.

This test is called for whenever a person is suffering from persistent fever and a number of other symptoms, the cause of which is unknown.

Before the Test

Prior to Fever Profile blood and urine test, it is permissible to consume your normal meals. Nonetheless, if this test is being conducted with another, there may be specific dietary restrictions. Hence, to achieve the best outcome, always consult a physician before the procedure.

During the Test

A phlebotomist will collect both a blood sample from your arm and a urine sample. Let's know what to expect from these tests.

For the Blood Test

• The area where the needle will be inserted will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution.
• A tourniquet band will be wrapped around your arm to enhance the visibility of the veins.
• A needle will be used to draw the blood from the vein. This process may cause a brief pinch that lasts a few seconds.
• The blood will be collected in a vial or small test tube labelled with your details.

After the Test

Once the blood has been collected:

• A bandage will be applied to the puncture site to stop any bleeding.
• Minor bruising is normal, but feeling dizzy is uncommon. You may be asked to sit for a few minutes.
• Contact your healthcare provider if you experience bleeding, pain, or rashes at the puncture site.

Urine Test

• You will be provided with a sterile container the day before the sample collection.
• Fill the container with your first morning urine on the specified day, close the lid tightly, and store it in a clean place.
• The phlebotomist will collect the sample during the blood collection process.

A number of different parameters are included in this test. Each of them is listed below:

• Widal Test -Widal test is a method that is used to make a diagnosis of enteric fever, also known as typhoid fever. This test is performed using the slide agglutination method.
• Malarial Parasite Identification - It is a peripheral smear method (a method in which the blood is viewed under a microscope to check the appearance of the blood cells) to identify the malarial parasite in the patient’s blood.
• CBC (Complete Blood Count) - CBC is a set of tests that assesses the white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets circulating in the blood. Your general health can be assessed with a CBC. 
• Red Blood Cells (RBC) count
• Differential Leucocyte count
• Total Leukocyte count
• Platelet count
• PCV (Packed Cell Volume)
• MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume)
• MCH (Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin)
• MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration)
• Neutrophils
• Lymphocytes 
• Absolute Leukocyte count 
• Eosinophils
• Haemoglobin
• PDW (a measure of how uniformly-sized the platelets in the blood are)

• Urine Examination
• Specific Gravity
• Nitrite
• Colour
• Casts
• Protein in Urine
• Ph of Urine
• Appearance
• Crystals
• Urobilinogen
• Transparency
• Glucose
• Ketone bodies
• Pus cells
• RBCs
• Epithelial cells

• Widal test - If the Widal test range is more than or equal to 1:160 titre for antigen O and antigen H, it indicates that the person has a typhoid infection.
• Malaria - To quantify malaria parasites against white blood cells (WBCs) in the peripheral smear method, parasites against WBCs are tallied until the count of 500 parasites or 1000 WBCs is reached, whichever comes first. The result is then expressed as parasites per microliter of blood, using the WBC count if known or otherwise assuming 8,000 WBCs per microliter blood.
• CBC (Complete Blood Count) - Normal ranges for this test are mentioned in the table below:

• Urine Examination

The normal values and reference ranges of the test may vary from lab to lab. Please refer to the ranges mentioned in the report and consult a doctor to understand the interpretation of lab reports.

• A high neutrophil count in the urine is usually indicative of bacterial infection.
• High lymphocyte count may be due to a viral infection.
• A positive Widal test is confirmatory for Typhoid fever.
• The presence of a malarial parasite on the peripheral smear indicates the patient is suffering from Malaria.
• The results of urine routine and microscopy are suggestive of whether fever is due to urinary tract infection (UTI) or not.