Frequency of Enteric Fever among Children with Acute Febrile Illness

Abstract

Background: Enteric fever is a widespread cause of acute febrile disease in children, especially in areas with low sanitation and less accessibility to clean water. The timely detection of the problem is the key to its successful management and prevention of complications.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of enteric fever in children presenting with acute febrile illness.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Central Park Teaching Hospital, Lahore, within a period of six months from January 2024 to June 2024. Children who had a minimum three-day history of fever and had an initial temperature greater than 38 ^oC were enrolled. Culture was done on blood to confirm enteric fever. The information regarding demographic details, clinical presentation, and laboratory parameters were noted. Mean + SD or median (IQR) were used in summarizing continuous variables based on the distribution, and frequencies and percentages were used in summarizing categorical variables. Chi-square test was used to analyze associations with p ≤ 0.05 considered significant.

Results: The culture-positive rate of enteric fever was found to be 34(22.7%). Culture-confirmed cases were significantly related to older age, prolonged fever, and hepatosplenomegaly (p ≤0.05). There was no strong relationship with gender or place of residence. Most of the children showed up with abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Conclusion: Enteric fever was a significant proportion of acute febrile disease in children. Clinical predictors included older age, prolonged duration of fever, and hepatosplenomegaly. Early diagnosis, lab diagnosis, and focused treatment should be used in order to decrease morbidity.