Clinical and Laboratory Symptoms of Septic Arthritis among Children Hospitalized in Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran

  Background   Septic arthritis is an acute infection of the joint space and a pediatric emergency. Delay in proper diagnosis and treatment, while prolonging the course of treatment, can have serious complications. The present study aimed to assess the clinical and laboratory profile of septic arthritis among patients hospitalized in the pediatric ward of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran.   Materials and Methods: This retro-prospective study was conducted on the medical files of children from 2 months to 16 years old hospitalized in Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, from March 2011 to March 2019 due to a diagnosis of septic arthritis. A checklist capturing the age, gender, clinical symptoms, laboratory symptoms, affected joint, and type of treatment was prepared and completed according to the medical files of the patients.   Results: Out of 173 studied patients, 91 (53%), and 82 (47%) of cases were boys and girls, respectively. The patient was two months to 16 years old. The hip joint was affected more in 78 patients (45%). Among the clinical symptoms, fever was the most common found in 134 cases (77%). Moreover, 11 cases had positive blood culture where staphylococcus aurous with five positive reported cases (45%) was a major observation. Furthermore, four cases were reported to have a positive joint culture. CRP was positive in 94.8% of patients.   Conclusion   Septic arthritis is one of the pediatric emergencies that should be diagnosed rapidly, and immediate treatment should be started to prevent irreversible complications. The most common symptom of arthritis in infants is restlessness and immobility and limp in children.