Diagnostic value of leukopenia in young febrile infants

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2012 Jan;31(1):92-5. doi: 10.1097/INF.0b013e3182337ddb.

Abstract

We performed a 7-year registry-based retrospective study. We included 1365 infants younger than 3 months of age with fever without a source; 81 (5.9%) had <5000 leukocytes/mm(3). Among the 1021 well-appearing 29- to 90-day-old infants, prevalence of serious bacterial infection (SBI) was 13.8% for those with a normal white blood cell count, 6.8% for those with leukopenia (odds ratio, 0.45), and 36.6% for those with leukocytosis (odds ratio, 3.59). None of the 9 well-appearing febrile neonates with leukopenia developed an SBI. Leukopenia, in well-appearing young febrile infants, should not be considered as an SBI risk factor.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Infections / blood
  • Bacterial Infections / diagnosis*
  • Bacterial Infections / epidemiology*
  • Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Escherichia coli Infections / diagnosis
  • Escherichia coli Infections / epidemiology
  • Escherichia coli Infections / microbiology
  • Fever / epidemiology*
  • Fever / etiology
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Leukocyte Count
  • Leukocytosis / blood
  • Leukocytosis / diagnosis
  • Leukocytosis / epidemiology
  • Leukopenia / blood
  • Leukopenia / diagnosis
  • Leukopenia / epidemiology*
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Streptococcal Infections / diagnosis
  • Streptococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Streptococcal Infections / microbiology