TY - JOUR
TI - RECTAL-AXILLARY TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IN FEBRILE AND AFEBRILE INFANTS
AND CHILDREN
AU - ANAGNOSTAKIS, D
AU - MATSANIOTIS, N
AU - GRAFAKOS, S
AU - SARAFIDOU, E
JO - Clinical Pediatrics
PY - 1993
VL - 32
TODO - 5
SP - 268-272
PB - WESTMINSTER PUBL INC
SN - 0009-9228
TODO - 10.1177/000992289303200503
TODO - null
TODO - The rectal-axillary temperature difference (R-A) was measured in the
morning, at midday, and in the afternoon on 1,519 occasions in 1,149
children from birth to 5 years old. Of these, 302 children were febrile
(rectal temperature greater-than-or-equal-to 38-degrees-C) and 847 were
afebrile. A wide range in R-A was found for each individual in both
groups. The magnitude of this difference was not associated with sex or
age. In febrile children, the R-A was significantly greater (P <.0001)
at the apparent onset of fever (1.04 +/- 0.25-degrees-C) than later,
when fever had been present for at least two hours (0.53 +/-
0.22-degrees-C). These findings indicate that it is impossible to find a
standard number by which to convert axillary to rectal temperature or
vice versa. Furthermore axillary temperature may be relatively low or
even ‘’normal” despite an elevated rectal temperature at the onset of
fever.
ER -