Determining the Relationship Between Fever of Without focus and Latent Pneumonia in Feverish Children in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Abstract

Background: Fever is one of the most common causes of children’s referral to the emergency department, for which in 20% of cases no clear source is found. Latent pneumonia is not easily differentiable as one of the differential diagnoses of fever of unknown origin (FUO). This study aimed to determine the relationship between FUO and latent pneumonia in feverish children referring to pediatric emergency department. Materials and Methods: The present analytical research was carried out on 220 children with FUO aged 3-36 months referred to pediatric hospital of Bandar Abbas, Iran in 2019. To find the signs and symptoms, demographic information, history, and physical examination results were recorded by a physician using a predetermined checklist. Chest x-ray and blood sample were prepared for white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Results: The mean age of the patients was 18.38±8.6 months. There was no significant difference between the mean fever, pulse rate, respiratory rate, WBC count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and ANC among the three groups differentiated by their diagnosis. The mean CRP in the bacterial pneumonia group was 68.17±24.13, while it was 35.00±20.43 in the viral infection group and 35.71±26.20 in the group of other diseases; the difference was statistically significant (P=0.004). Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference between WBC, ANC, and ESR and latent pneumonia, there was a significant difference between CRP and latent pneumonia, whose value was larger in these patients.