Purpose of review: Inherited and acquired immune system dysfunctions associated with fever are reviewed. Recent evidence of best practices in the diagnosis and treatment of fever caused by infections in children are also discussed.
Recent findings: Descriptive studies on clinical presentation of periodic fever and outcomes associated with and without interventions are discussed. Diagnostic evaluation and therapy of fever and neutropenia in cancer patients and challenges associated with the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease are also included. New evidence on the treatment of urinary tract infection in the neonate, and clinical evaluation tools for febrile infants, are reviewed.
Summary: Immune-dysfunction as a cause of fever is not well understood. In order to target therapy appropriately, more studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of fever in this population. Better diagnostic methods are available for detection of viruses, especially in patients with fever and neutropenia, but further investigation is required for the interpretation of those results.