Infectious causes and outcomes of patients with high fever in the emergency department

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the reasons for presentation, diagnoses, and outcomes of patients with high fever in the emergency department. Methods: This research is a retrospective study planned by examining the files and data of patients who presented to the emergency department between 01.03.2021 and 01.03.2023, and whose body temperature was above 38 degrees Celsius. Patient data was analyzed from patient files and the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS). The demographic characteristics, vital signs at admission, reasons for presentation, diagnoses, and outcomes of patients with complete data from patient files and HIMS were investigated. Results: Of the 288 patients included in the study, 151 (52.4%) were male, and the mean age was 47.04 ± 18.75. When examining the reasons for patients' presentation to the emergency department, 79 (27.4%) patients presented with sore throat, and 44 (15.3%) patients presented with fever. When examining the final diagnoses of patients, acute tonsillopharyngitis was the most common diagnosis with 99 (34.4%) patients, followed by 30 (10.4%) patients with Covid-19. Regarding the outcomes of patients, 190 (66%) patients were discharged from the emergency department, 63 (21.9%) were admitted to the ward, and 26 (9%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Conclusion: Cases with high fever in the emergency department encompass a wide range of conditions, ranging from mild viral upper respiratory tract infections to potentially fatal infections such as meningoencephalitis and myocarditis. Therefore, in febrile cases in the emergency department, serious infectious causes should be considered in terms of the focus of fever. Additionally, non-infectious causes should also be kept in mind as they can cause high fever.