title: Cerebrospinal fluid characteristics of infants who present to the emergency department with fever: establishing normal values by week of age.
abstract: BACKGROUND This study describes differences in the values of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC), glucose, and protein counts in infants less than 60 days of age with fever who were not proven to have viral or bacterial meningitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three independent retrospective medical record reviews were conducted using a population of infants less than 60 days of age who presented to the Emergency Department with fever. Full-term infants were included if a lumbar puncture was performed within 24 hours of admittance and bacterial or viral meningitis was not identified as the cause of fever.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1091 infants were included and grouped by week of age. Significant trends were found for CSF WBC and CSF protein with the highest values observed during the first week of life. Mean for CSF WBC was 8.63 cells/mm for infants aged 0 to 1 week and decreased for each age group ending with infants 8 weeks of age having a mean of 2.22 cell/mm. For CSF protein, a similar trend was observed. No significant differences were found for CSF glucose.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant differences exist for infants by week of age for CSF WBC and CSF protein. These values can be used to assist in interpreting laboratory findings and making management decisions for infants less than 60 days of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chadwick
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Judith M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005947:Glucose / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D005947:Glucose