European study confirms the combination of fever and petechial rash as an important warning sign for childhood sepsis and meningitis

Acta Paediatr. 2023 May;112(5):1058-1066. doi: 10.1111/apa.16740. Epub 2023 Mar 21.

Abstract

Aim: This study investigated febrile children with petechial rashes who presented to European emergency departments (EDs) and investigated the role that mechanical causes played in diagnoses.

Methods: Consecutive patients with fever presenting to EDs in 11 European emergency departments in 2017-2018 were enrolled. The cause and focus of infection were identified and a detailed analysis was performed on children with petechial rashes. The results are presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: We found that 453/34010 (1.3%) febrile children had petechial rashes. The focus of the infection included sepsis (10/453, 2.2%) and meningitis (14/453, 3.1%). Children with a petechial rash were more likely than other febrile children to have sepsis or meningitis (OR 8.5, 95% CI 5.3-13.1) and bacterial infections (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.8) as well as need for immediate life-saving interventions (OR 6.6, 95% CI 4.4-9.5) and intensive care unit admissions (OR 6.5, 95% CI 3.0-12.5).

Conclusion: The combination of fever and petechial rash is still an important warning sign for childhood sepsis and meningitis. Ruling out coughing and/or vomiting was insufficient to safely identify low-risk patients.

Keywords: febrile illness; mechanical cause of petechiae; meningitis; petechial rash; sepsis.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Exanthema* / diagnosis
  • Exanthema* / etiology
  • Fever / diagnosis
  • Fever / etiology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Meningitis* / complications
  • Meningitis* / diagnosis
  • Purpura* / complications
  • Purpura* / etiology
  • Sepsis* / complications
  • Sepsis* / diagnosis