Significance of fever in Jamaican patients with homozygous sickle cell disease

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cause and outcome of high fever in Jamaican children with homozygous sickle cell disease. DESIGN: Retrospective review of febrile episodes in a three year period (1 September 1993 to 31 August 1996). SETTING: Sickle Cell Clinic, an outpatient clinic in Kingston run by the Medical Research Council Laboratories (Jamaica). PATIENTS Patients with homozygous sickle cell disease under 17 years of age presenting with an anxillary temperature o 39.0§c (102.4§F). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnosis, death. RESULTS: There were 165 event in 144 patients (66 (45.8 percent) boys) with a median age of 6.1 years. Bacteraemia was found in 10 (6.1 percent) events (three Streptococcus pneumoniae, two Haemophilus influenzae type b, two Salmonella sp, one Escherichia coli, one Enterobactor sp, and one Acinetobacter sp), and urinary tract infections in four (2.4 percent). All cultures of cerebrospinal fluid were sterile. Acute chest syndrome occured in 36 (21.8 percent) events. A painful crisis was associated with 45 (27.3 percent) events and was the only pathology identified in 20 events (12.1 percent). Hospital admission was necessary in 66 cases including all those with bacteraemia and 31 with acute chest syndrome. There were two deaths a 5 year old boy with septic shock associated with H influenzae septicaemia, and a 3 year old boy with the acute chest syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Painful crisis and acute chest syndrome were the most common complications associated with high fever, but other important associated features included bacteraemia and urinary tract infection. Enteric Gram negative organisms accounted for 50 percent of positive blood cultures. (AU)