Response to Antipyretics to Predict Serious Illness
Response to Antipyretics to Predict Serious Illness
You are a senior house officer (SHO) working in a busy district general hospital. A 9-month-old boy is brought in by his parents with a fever of 2 days duration. There is no obvious focus but the child appears well. A urine dipstick is negative. When reviewing the child, the registrar is concerned to learn that the fever has not responded to paracetamol (acetaminophen). You wonder if there is any evidence that a febrile child is more likely to have a serious illness if their fever fails to respond to antipyretics.
Clinical Scenario
You are a senior house officer (SHO) working in a busy district general hospital. A 9-month-old boy is brought in by his parents with a fever of 2 days duration. There is no obvious focus but the child appears well. A urine dipstick is negative. When reviewing the child, the registrar is concerned to learn that the fever has not responded to paracetamol (acetaminophen). You wonder if there is any evidence that a febrile child is more likely to have a serious illness if their fever fails to respond to antipyretics.
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