Final answer:
Drug fever appears as an acute febrile illness with high fever, flu-like symptoms, and potentially severe organ or autoimmune effects. Gastrointestinal symptoms and rashes may also occur, and in relapsing fevers, the pattern of symptoms can cycle due to bacterial immune evasion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Drug fever usually presents with symptoms resembling an acute febrile illness, with high temperatures ranging from 40-41 °C (104-105.8 °F). Patients may exhibit recurring flu-like signs such as fever, diarrhea, cramps, vomiting, and sometimes more severe symptoms like dysentery, which can lead to severe organ or autoimmune effects. In some cases, patients may experience initial cold-like symptoms with a high fever followed by a rash three to five days later. Relapsing fevers are characterized by a cycle of sudden high fever, headache, and muscle aches, which subside and return over a period unless treated with antibiotics. This pattern is a result of immune evasion by the bacteria. The condition may also include gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and stomach cramps that typically resolve within 24 hours. In moderate to severe cases, fever might recur alongside symptoms such as jaundice, petechial rash, mucosal hemorrhages, and even neurological symptoms like confusion and apathy.