PURPOSE: We studied clinical patterns of the febrile infants and children presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department(ED) in the general pediatric population. METHOD: We analyzed 1,764 infants and children who had a history of measured body temperature of 38.3degrees C or higher, before or after arrival at Pediatric ED of Ilsan Paik Hospital from September 2004 to August 2005. We analyzed their clinical patterns, such as the frequency of febrile illness, age distribution, monthly distribution, diagnosis. RESULT: The frequency of the febrile illness at Pediatirc ED was 19.9 percent (1,764/8,881 cases). The percentage of admission into hospital was 26.4 percent. The most common age group presenting to Pediatric ED with febrile illness was the 12-23 months group(22.8 percent) followed by the 4-11 months group and the 2 years group. In May, the most numerous patients presented to the Pediatric ED with febrile illness. The frequency of febrile illness was significant higher in the 'Spring & Summer group' compared to the 'Autumn & Winter group'. The ratio of male to femal was 1.4:1. The most common diagnosis was acute pharyngitis(42.5 percent), followed by acute gastroenteritis (15.3 percent), pneumonia(7.0 percent). CONCLUSION: The frequency of the febrile illness at Pediatirc ED was 19.9 percent. The most numerous patients visited Pediatric ED in May. And, the most common age group was 12-23 months. The proportion of non-urgent disease, such as acute pharyngitis, acute gastroenteritis, acute nasopharyngitis and acute bronchitis, was high. There is a need to educate parents and improve the medical system in Korea.
Age Distribution ; Body Temperature ; Bronchitis ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Fever ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Infant* ; Korea ; Male ; Nasopharyngitis ; Parents ; Pharyngitis

Accidental foreign body ingestion is one of the general pediatric problems. If more than one magnet are ingested, they can attract each other across the intestinal wall. This kind of event may cause necrosis, perforation or fistula. Therefore, they must be retrieved by gastroduodenoscopy while they are still in the stomach. The authors have experienced an unusual small bowel complication, which was small bowel-mesentery-small bowel fistula, caused by the ingestion of magnets.
Eating ; Fistula* ; Foreign Bodies ; Intestinal Fistula ; Necrosis ; Stomach