Fever in respiratory virus infections

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Virology
• Clinical Microbiology

Background:

• Fever is a common symptom in pediatric respiratory infections.
• Distinguishing viral from bacterial causes can be challenging based on fever alone.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the degree and duration of fever in children hospitalized with specific respiratory viral infections.
• To compare fever patterns in viral infections with those in serious bacterial infections.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of case records for 258 children.
• Inclusion of infections caused by adenovirus, influenza A/B, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.
• Comparison with data from children diagnosed with meningitis, epiglottitis, sepsis, and urinary tract infections.

Main Results:

• High fevers (>= 39.0°C) were frequent in adenovirus (68%), influenza A (84%), and influenza B (65%) infections.
• Mean highest fever in viral infections (39.2°C) was similar to serious bacterial infections (39.3°C).
• Fever duration ranged from 2.5 to 5.2 days, with 37% experiencing fever for 5+ days.

Conclusions:

• High and prolonged fever are common in hospitalized children with respiratory virus infections.
• Fever characteristics in these viral infections do not significantly differ from severe bacterial infections.
• Clinical assessment should consider viral etiologies even with high and persistent fever.