Temperature measurement in paediatrics

In febrile children younger than 36 months of age, most serious illnesses are caused by infectious agents [3]-[6]. The presence of a fever in children younger than three months of age triggers a thorough investigation into the source of the infection [7][8]. However, the presence of a normal or subnormal temperature in children younger than three months of age can also be associated with severe infections in the presence of other appropriate signs and symptoms. The definition of a fever of unknown origin also relies on stringent diagnostic criteria (ie, a fever lasting more than 14 days with no etiology found after routine tests), and depends on precise temperature recordings [9]-[11]. Finally, an appropriate recording of the absence of a fever reassures both parents and health care providers who seek to diminish fever phobia, and inappropriate medical consultations and investigations [12]. It is, therefore, essential that the measurement of a fever be accurate and reproducible from infancy through adolescence.