Journal Article

Etiology and clinical characteristics of pediatric acute fever among hospitalized children in an endemic malaria transmission area of Cameroon in Central Africa

Eboumbou Moukoko, Carole Else, Same Bebey, Francine, Épée Eboumbou, Patricia, Hzounda Fokou, Jean Baptiste, Mbono Betoko, Ritha, Ngondi, Grace, Eposse, Charlotte, Penda, Calixte Ida, Pfoum, Christelle Véronique, Endale, Laurent-Mireille

2023

Overview

Acute fever in the majority of children in resource-limited countries is attributable to malaria and often treated without laboratory evidence. The aim of the study was to characterize acute pediatric infectious fevers (APIF) in the pediatric department of the Douala Laquintinie Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 2 months to 15 years who were admitted with an acute fever (anal temperature ≥ 37.5°C less than 5 days in infants and 7 days in adolescents). 200 children were included and followed up during their hospitalization. The mean age was 3.7 (IQ25-75: 1–4.6) years. More than 3 out of 5 patients (62.5%) came from another health facility and anemia accounted for 29% of the reasons for consultation associated with fever. The main symptoms were vomiting (28%), cough (26%), convulsions (21%) and diarrhea (20%). Skin-mucosal pallor (43.0%) and hepatosplenomegaly (26.0%) were the most common physical signs encountered. Among febrile children, 116/200 (58%) were infected with at least 1 pathogen, and 1/200 (0.5%) had a fever of unknown etiology. Malaria (53% vs 80.5% presumptive) associated with anemia (95.3% of cases) was the most common pathology associated with APIF, followed by pneumonia (19.5%), meningitis (11.5%) and urinary tract infections (10% vs 54.5% presumptive). Malaria was over-diagnosed on admission and over-treated as well as urinary tract infection. A better understanding of common pathogens carriage, a better capacity for improved diagnosis and a better applied clinical algorithm for febrile illnesses in children are needed.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adolescent / Algorithms / Anemia / Antibiotics / Bacterial infections / Biology and Life Sciences / Cameroon - epidemiology / Causes and theories of causation / Cerebrospinal fluid / Child / Child, Hospitalized / Child, Preschool / Children / Complications and side effects / Convulsions / Cough / Cross-Sectional Studies / Data collection / Development and progression / Diagnosis / Diagnostic tests / Diarrhea / Disease transmission / Diseases / Emergency medical care / Etiology / Fever / Fever - epidemiology / Health aspects / Health care facilities / Hospital facilities / Hospital patients / Hospitals / Humans / Hyperthermia / Illnesses / Infant / Infections / Interviews / Laboratories / Malaria / Malaria - complications / Malaria - diagnosis / Malaria - epidemiology / Medical diagnosis / Medicine and Health Sciences / Meningitis / Parasites / Parents & parenting / Pathogens / Patient assessment / Pediatrics / Population growth / Questionnaires / Risk factors / Urinary tract / Urinary tract infections / Urinary Tract Infections - diagnosis / Urine / Vector-borne diseases / Vomiting