The effect of renal function on the febrile response to bacteremia

The febrile responses of 73 bacteremic patients were retrospectively studied using peak temperatures and 24-hour areas under the fever curve on the day of the positive cultures. These responses were compared to their respective creatinine clearances calculated with the Nielsen-Hansen nomogram. Patients with clearances greater than or equal to 80 ml/min had a significantly greater febrile response than those with clearances less than or equal to 29 ml/min (P less than .025). Patients with clearances between these groups had responses that were in a mid position but not significantly different from either group. We conclude that patients with impaired renal function do manifest fever in response to infection, but that it is quantitatively less than those with normal renal function. Because of this blunted response, minimal elevations of temperature in such patients warrant a diligent search for the presence of infection.