title: Diurnal variation in body temperature of Gambian children.
abstract: Measured fever often forms the basis for defining clinical malaria episodes in children from endemic areas. We measured body temperature every 3 h from 08:00 to 20:00 in 69 children aged 1-5 years during the malaria season in a rural area of The Gambia. Body temperature varied on average by more than one degree Celsius during the course of a day. Mean temperatures were lowest in the early morning and highest in the afternoon. There was a strong positive association between air temperature and body temperature. In highly endemic areas, researchers who use measured fever to assess clinical malaria episodes in population-based surveys should standardize the time of day at which temperature is assessed.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, The Gambia.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schellenberg
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menendez
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005714:Gambia; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D013696:Temperature