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High fever. Experience in private practice
American Journal of Diseases of Children (1960)
|June 1, 1975
Summary
High fever (40°C/104°F+) in children is uncommon, with pneumonia being a key diagnosis. Mothers demonstrated good thermometer reading skills, aiding accurate fever assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- This study analyzes 14 years of private practice data on high fever episodes in children.
- It examines diagnostic categories, diagnostic yields, and associated symptoms for confirmed high fever cases.
Observation:
- 1,500 patients over 8,000 patient-years revealed 108 confirmed high fever episodes (≥40°C/104°F).
- Diagnostic categories included 149 diagnoses; pneumonia was significantly more frequent in confirmed high fever cases.
- Roentgenography identified pneumonia missed on physical exam; stool cultures detected enteric pathogens.
Findings:
- Convulsions occurred in 12% of high fever episodes with low recurrence.
- No deaths were reported in the series.
- Mothers showed high accuracy in reading thermometers at various temperatures.
Implications:
- Highlights the diagnostic value of imaging and cultures for persistent high fevers.
- Suggests pneumonia is a critical diagnosis in pediatric high fever.
- Emphasizes the importance of accurate parental fever monitoring.