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Psychogenic fever and neurodevelopmental disorders among Japanese children

Ayumi Okada1,2,3, Yoshie Shigeyasu4,5, Chikako Fujii4,5

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan. doidoi@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp.

Biopsychosocial Medicine
|December 19, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Psychogenic fever in children is often linked to stress and school difficulties. Many cases involve neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting the need for tailored diagnosis and treatment approaches.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine
  • Child Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

  • Psychosocial stress can manifest as physical symptoms, including fever, particularly in children.
  • Unexplained fevers in pediatric patients may indicate psychogenic fever.
  • Children with neurodevelopmental disorders are at higher risk for stress-induced somatic symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize children diagnosed with psychogenic fever.
  • To identify comorbidities associated with psychogenic fever in pediatric patients.
  • To explore the relationship between neurodevelopmental disorders and psychogenic fever.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 21 pediatric patients with psychogenic fever.
  • Data collected included demographics, diagnosis, comorbidities, treatment, and outcomes.
  • Patients were treated at the Department of Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine, Okayama University Hospital.

Main Results:

  • The study included 14 girls and 7 boys with a median age of 13.0 years.
  • 19 patients had school absence, and all showed school maladjustment.
  • Comorbidities included orthostatic dysregulation (4) and migraine (3); 9 patients had neurodevelopmental disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Psychogenic fever in children frequently co-occurs with comorbidities, notably neurodevelopmental disorders like autistic spectrum disorder.
  • Difficulties in social adjustment contribute to psychological stress in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Understanding patient characteristics and environmental factors is key for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of psychogenic fever.
Abstract

Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorderEnvironmental adaptationFunctional hyperthermiaNeurodevelopmental disorderPsychogenic fever

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