Problems in the clinical diagnosis of typhoid fever in children in the tropics.
Between January 1976 and December 1978, the Microbiology Department of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, isolated Salmonella typhi from the blood cultures of 93 children aged 0-14 years, who were admitted to the paediatric wards. Clinical case notes were retrieved and reviewed in 64 (68.8%) of them. Fifteen (23%) of the 64 children were less than one year of age while 22 (34%) were under the age of five years. The commonest presenting symptoms were fever, anorexia, diarrhoea and vomiting. A febrile convulsion was the presenting symptom in 13 (20%) of the patients, all of whom were under the age of five years. Hepatomegaly was almost twice as frequently observed as splenomegaly. Intestinal perforation was present in five of the patients. There was a high proportion of SS children who presented with fever, pallor, jaundice, generalized aches and pains and other clinical features of sickle cell disease and it is possible that such children are specially susceptible to typhoid fever. A clinical diagnosis of typhoid fever on admission was made in only 14 of the 64 children. Reasons are given for the low index of suspicion and it is suggested that any child with unremitting fever after adequate anti-malarial chemotherapy should be treated for enteric fever.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality