TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 105. The Febrile Child A1 - Baker, Douglas A1 - Avner, Jeffrey R. A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. Y1 - 2011 N1 - T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - Although fever is almost always a sign of an underlying illness, many parents and patients consider it to be a serious disorder that requires immediate relief. Accordingly, fever is often a cause of great consternation for parents and is one of the most common reasons for children to visit a physician. Fever is a primitive, almost universal component of the acute phase response to illness. As such, it may result from virtually any process associated with inflammation or, more specifically, with cytokine release, including malignancies, immunologic reactions, and trauma (see Chapters 121 and 227 for a detailed discussion on thermoregulation and the genesis of the febrile response). In children, fever is most frequently a manifestation of an infectious illness (see Chapter 227), usually of benign prognosis, such as a limited viral illness or a localized bacterial infection. On occasion, however, fever may be the only clinically detectable sign of serious infection, a concern that is particularly relevant in patients whose immunologic defenses are reduced. Therefore, the appearance of fever as a lone manifestation of illness always demands a logical and careful approach to evaluating the underlying cause. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6720530 ER -