Here is a quick mnemonic ” INFECTION “ to remember about the Fever In Patients Receiving Anticytokine Therapy
This can be valuable for patients as well as medical doctors, nurses & students doing their clinical rounds. You can also find it very useful for med exams like USMLE, NEET PG, FMGE, NExT & NCLEX exams
Anticytokine therapy refers to the use of drugs that inhibit the activity of cytokines, which are small proteins involved in inflammation and the immune response. These drugs are used to treat a variety of conditions, including autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Fever is a common side effect of anticytokine therapy. This is because cytokines play a key role in regulating body temperature, and inhibiting their activity can disrupt this process. In some cases, fever may be a sign of an infection or other underlying condition, so it is important to monitor patients receiving anticytokine therapy closely.
Fever In Patients Receiving Anticytokine Therapy : How To Remember Easily ?
- I – Increased risk of infection in patients receiving anticytokine-based regimens due to lowered host defenses.
- N – Nearly all reported cases of infection associated with anticytokine therapy present with fever as a sign.
- F – Febrile response is blunted in patients receiving anticytokine therapies or anti-inflammatory agents.
- E – Early and rigorous diagnostic evaluation is crucial in cases of low-grade fever in patients receiving anticytokine therapies.
- C – Clinical drawback of blocking cytokine activity is lowered host defenses against bacterial and opportunistic infections.
- T – Tuberculosis infection can disseminate in patients receiving anti-TNF therapy.
- I – IL-17 reduction in psoriasis increases the risk of systemic candidiasis.
- O – Opportunistic infections such as M. tuberculosis and fungal infections pose a risk in patients receiving anticytokine therapies.
- N – Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can blunt the febrile response in patients receiving chronic glucocorticoid therapy or anti-inflammatory agents.
Mnemonic : INFECTION
