Approach to Fever Flashcards
What is a normal temperature?
98.2 + or - 0.7
What is the daily variation that occurs with fever?
Nadir at 0600, and peak at 1700
How much higher is rectal temp compared to oral?
Usually 1 degree F higher
What is the effect of menstruation on body temp?
Increases by a degree C
What is the definition of a fever?
Two consecutive elevations of 101 F, unless neutropenic (then just one)
What is the thermoregulatory center of the body?
Hypothalamus
What is the cooling center of the body?
Anterior hypothalamus
What is the heating center of the body?
Posterior hypothalamus
Where are our thermoreceptors?
Skin and muscles
What is the definition of hyperthermia?
Increased body temp above that set by the central regulation due to insufficient heat dissipation
What are the two main exogenous sources of pyrogens?
Toxins
Microorganisms
What are the major cytokines that mediate fever?
IL-1, IL-6, IFN, TNF
What is the definition of a fever of unknown origin (FUO)?
Fever greater than 38.3 for 2 or 3 weeks without identifiable etiology
What is a fever without localizing source?
Fever without ssx or a localizing source
What is the most common cause of fever without a localizing source?
Infectious etiology
What is the most common cause of fever without a source in 3-36 mo?
Occult bacteremia w/o ssx of sepsis
What are the predictors of occult bacteremia?
- Fever
- WBC more than 15K
What is NOT predictive of occult bacteremia?
Response to antipyretics
Clinical appearance
What percent of kids with a fever w/o source and a white count of greater than 30k have occult bacteremia?
42.3%
True or false: vaccines can mask ssx
True
What is the Yale observational scale?
Assessment to quantify toxic appearance, with higher score meaning more toxic