[Management of fever in children]

Fever is one of the most common reasons for encounter in pediatrics. This article gives information on how to judge the condition of a feverish child or infant correctly: Special emphasis should be put on the general condition of the patient and the clinical course of symptoms over time. With a few skills and tools severe pitfalls can be avoided. General practitioners administer antibiotics in febrile children more often than pediatricians do. The decision of giving antibiotics in an ambulatory setting should not exclusively be based on elevated inflammatory markers in the blood without a sufficient clinical proof of bacterial infection. Also normal lab results can be misleading and are no proof of absence of severe infection. Rapid deterioration in the child's condition without a proper response to NSAID or acetaminophen is a primary warning sign and parents should always be encouraged to have their child rejudged immediately in that case. This applies especially to young children. The option of a follow up encounter should always be offered to parents when dismissing them.