Managing Febrile Children with Sickle Cell Disease

In a large retrospective analysis, outpatient management of such children was associated with a very low risk for bacteremia (0.8%).

Febrile children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have a high rate of bacteremia — 3% to 5% in older studies. Bacteremia in these children frequently leads to sepsis, which can progress to septic shock and death. Despite improvements in care that might decrease bacteremia incidence in children with SCD (e.g., newborn diagnosis; routine use of prophylactic penicillin and of conjugate vaccines for Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b), hospital admission remains common. In a recent retrospective study conducted at a large pediatric hospital in the U.S., researchers examined the safety of outpatient management of febrile children with SCD.

The analysis included patients aged <21 years who presented to this hospital with SCD …

Reviewing Author

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Managing Febrile Children with Sickle Cell Disease

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Reviewing Author