All issues > Volume 26(5); 1983

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1983;26(5):449-454. Published online May 31, 1983.

Prolonged Fever in Infants and Children.

Jeh Hoon Shin¹, Jin Woo Han¹, Sang Yoon Lee¹, Woo Gill Lee¹, Soo Jee Moon¹, Chong Moo Park¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University College of Medicine Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Although fever is one of the most common symptoms seen in the pediatric field, we often have met problems in diagnosis and treatment because the etiology is sometimes obscure. We clinically reviewed one hundred patients admitted to Hanyang University Hospital from Sept. 1978 to Dec. 1981 with the chief problem of fever over 38.5°C for longer than two weeks. Final diagnosis of patients with prolonged fever were as follows: 81 cases(81 %) were infectious disease, 9 cases(9%) collagen disease, 5 cases(5%) undiagnosed. Infection was the most common etiology of prolonged fever in all age groups. The diagnosis was done by means of careful history taking, physical examination and a various tests. Comparing the routine tests and CRP & ESR, we found the CRP & ESR tests were more reliable than the routine test(CBC, urinalysis, X-ray) in the diagnosis of patients with prolonged fever. The CRP & ESR tests were positive in all patients. Therefore it is suggested the CRP &ESR tests must be done in all patients with prolonged fever.

Keywords :CRP; ESR; Prolonged fever.