ACUTE FEVER STATE IN CHILDREN: EXPLANATION OF PATHOLOGY AND EMERGING

Abstract

Fever in infants in the first three months of life is no infrequent. Although fever is usually self limited, serious infections may be present, the most important of which are bacteremia and bacterial meningitis. At birth, the capacity of the immune system to defend against infectious pathogenus in not fully developed. The capacity increases during the early months and years of life, with this evolution most pronounced during the first two to three months. The transition to greater immunocompetence is not abrupt. Incidence of bacteremia in febrile infants less than 30 days of age was 6.5 percent, as compared with 2 percent in febrile infants of 31 to 60 days of age. The consequences of misdiagnosis can be grave.

Keywords

• acute fever state in infant
• pathology
• emergency.