Acute Fevers in the Medical Unit of the Medical-Surgical Emergency Department of the Donka National Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Fever is a high core temperature ≥ 37.5°C in the morning and 37.8°C in the evening. It is acute when it evolves from 0 to 20 days. Very common in clinical practice, the etiological diagnosis, particularly in developing and tropical countries, is often a challenge for clinicians due to their diversity and the limited availability of diagnostic tools. There is a wide spectrum of etiological diagnoses including infectious causes and non-infectious causes. The aim of this study was to investigate the etiology of fevers acute at the medical unit in the medico-surgical emergency department of the Donka National Hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study lasting 03 months (January 01, 2022 to March 31, 2022). We included in this study all patients seen in the medical unit, whose age ≥ 18 years, without distinction of sex, from any origin, with an axillary temperature ≥ 37.5°C in the morning and 37.8°C in the evening, evolving from 0 to 20 days, hospitalized or followed on an outpatient basis, and having given verbal consent. Results: Of a total of 1087 patients seen, 466 had an acute fever. The mean age was 40.04 ± 18.91 years (18 and 96 years). The female sex (58.15%) was predominant with a sex ratio of 0.72. Malaria (50.86%) was the main diagnosis. The treatment consisted of compressed paracetamol (59.01%), arthemether + lumefantrine (50.85%). Conclusion: The incidence of acute fevers is high in the medical unit of the medico-surgical emergency department of the Donka National Hospital. Malaria was the main pathology. Treatment was etiological and symptomatic. This high incidence could be explained by the fact that Guinea is an endemic malaria zone. A study taking into account other etiological factors would be of great interest.