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MSM

Health News Archive 706 - Allergy
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"Fever of unknown origin" caused by food allergy

Between the ages of 21 and 30 months, a girl was seen by 16 doctors for fever of unknown origin and C-reactive protein concentrations of 100-200 150 mg/L (normal, less than 5 mg/L). Elimination of dairy products and subsequent challenge demonstrated that the fever was due to cow's milk allergy. On a milk-free diet, the C­reactive protein level normalized within one week, and no further fevers occurred.

Comment by Alan Gaby, M.D.:

Fever has been mentioned repeatedly over the years as a potential manifestation of food allergy. As early as 1937, one practitioner described three patients with constant fever for long periods of time (up to eight years in one case) that resolved after identification and avoidance of allergenic foods. Despite these reports, allergy is not mentioned as a potential cause of "fever of unknown origin" in standard texts.

Hozyasz KK, et al. Fever and high C-reactive protein level as the sole manifestation of allergy to cow milk. Explore. 2006;2:520-521.

Reprinted with exclusive permission from The Townsend Letter. Aug/Sept 2007

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