Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Chills.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had the chills?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- If chills are associated with a fever, what is the pattern of the fever and chills?
Why: e.g. intermittent fever of malaria, Epstein-Barr virus and ascending cholangitis; continuous fever is common with viral infections such as influenza; remittent fever where temperature returns towards normal for a variable period but is always elevated may occur with pelvic abscess, wound infection and cancer; undulant fever where bouts of fever for several days are followed by several days of normal temperature occur with brucellosis infection and lymphomas.
- Have you been exposed to extreme cold weather or cold water?
Why: may help when considering cause of low temperature and consequent chills.
- Travel history?
Why: overseas travelers or visitors may have special or even exotic infections.
- Past medical history?
Why: e.g. AIDS, Rheumatic fever, pneumonia, immunodeficiency, cancer.
- Recent surgery?
Why: may suggest post-operative complication e.g. wound infection, aspiration pneumonia, lung collapse, urinary catheter related urinary tract infection, intra-abdominal abscess.
- Medications?
Why: drugs can cause fever, presumably due to hypersensitivity e.g. allopurinol, antihistamines, barbiturates, cephalosporins, cimetidine, methyl dopa, penicillins, isoniazid, phenytoin, procainamide, salicylates, sulphonamides; some drugs can suppress the immune system and increase risk of infections e.g. cancer chemotherapy agents.
- Sexual history?
Why: may help to determine risk of HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, pelvic inflammatory disease e.g. AIDS patients pose a special risk for infections including opportunistic infections.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Frequency and burning of urine?
Why: would suggest pyelonephritis, abscess around the kidney or abscess in the prostate.
- Cough?
Why: may suggest pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchiectasis or tuberculosis.
- Bone pain or bone swelling?
Why: may suggest osteomyelitis.
- Pain and location of the pain?
Why: can help determine focus of infection.
- Body discharge?
Why: e.g. vaginal, penile, anal, tooth, ear, nasal.
- Body rash?
Why: may help determine cause of chills.
» Next page: Types of Chills
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