Diagnostic Strategies for Acute Febrile Illness in Indian Tertiary Care Hospitals: Current Challenges and Future Directions

Abstract

Acute febrile illness (AFI) is a common clinical presentation, characterized by a sudden onset of fever lasting up to two to three weeks. Diagnosing AFI remains a significant challenge in Indian tertiary care hospitals due to the wide range of possible etiologies, overlapping symptoms, and limited access to specific diagnostic tools. This review explores current diagnostic approaches, with emphasis on the use of clinical markers such as differential white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin. While these markers assist in differentiating bacterial from non-bacterial causes, their specificity in low-resource settings remains limited. The review also highlights opportunities for improving diagnostic accuracy through point-of-care testing and integrated diagnostic systems. Advancements in host biomarkers and multiplex diagnostics could potentially enhance the timely identification and management of AFI in endemic regions.