Observational studyPloS one2017
Sickness behavior in feverish children is independent of the severity of fever. An observational, multicenter study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness and safety of interventions for fever-associated discomfort in children: A systematic review.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of psychosensory interventions for the management of pediatric pain, fear, and distress during emergency care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Definition and assessment of fever-related discomfort in pediatric literature: a systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Defining fever-related discomfort in children: an international Delphi consensus.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Professionals' ideas and observations on preschoolers' experiences with physical symptoms: a qualitative interview study.BMC pediatrics · 2024Article
- Discomfort relief after paracetamol administration in febrile children admitted to a third level paediatric emergency department.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- The role of fever in febrile seizures: major implications for fever perception.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- Data Completeness and Concordance in the FeverApp Registry: Comparative Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2022Article
- Cross-sectional study of parental knowledge, behaviour and anxiety in management of paediatric fever among German parents.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Sociodemographic Characteristics and Interests of FeverApp Users.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- How Does the Social Grouping of Animals in Nature Protect Against Sickness? A Perspective.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2021Article
- Let fever do its job: The meaning of fever in the pandemic era.Evolution, medicine, and public health · 2021Review
- The Legacy of Sickness Behaviors.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Review
- Understanding Discomfort in Order to Appropriately Treat Fever.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND.
objectivesBehavioral changes in a febrile child are usually considered to stem from the fever. We studied sickness behavior (SB) in terms of its clinical components and its relation to fever.
methodsThis observational, multicenter study included children aged 6 months to 3 years who were either febrile (fever ≥12 hours, ≥ 39°C and ≥38°C at inclusion) or non-febrile and well. The child had to have been awake for the 2 hours preceding the consultation and cared for by the parent who brought him/her to the doctor. SB was evaluated according to 6 parameters over this 2-hour period: time spent playing, distance covered, time spent seeking comfort, time spent whining or crying, time spent in a state of irritation or of anger, most distorted facial expression. Two parameters were assessed for the 24-hour period preceding the consultation: time spent sleeping and appetite. The parent reported the degree of change in these parameters compared with the usual situation, using rating scales.
results200 febrile children (most with nonspecific upper respiratory infections) and 200 non-febrile children were included. The mean values of the 8 parameters differed significantly (p<0.001) between the 2 groups and were independent of the height of fever at inclusion in the febrile children. In the study conditions, paracetamol failed to improve SB when the child was still feverish.
conclusionThe 8 parameters suggested that SB and fever are two independent manifestations that are activated simultaneously during an infection. This independence is in harmony with recommendations to treat the discomfort of SB and not the fever.
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