Fever of unknown origin caused by child abuse; A case report

BACKGROUND: Fever is the most common complaint in children. Some children frequently refer to treatment centers for long periods of continuous fever; and despite precise assessments, the cause of the fever is unknown. Since there is no evidence of relationship between fever of unknown origin (FUO) and child abuse, we report a case of fever of unknown origin case caused by child abuse. CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old boy was referred to a pediatric ward of Mehr hospital in Malayer City, west of Hamadan Province, Iran, followed by a fever of unknown origin to assess the disease. The patient repeatedly had severe fever twice a month, since he was seven years old. He did not presented to hospital due to normalization for his family. He then returned to the hospital with repetition of fever and not responding to the medications used at home. After a few days of admission to the hospital and performing examinations and laboratory procedures and pictograph, there was no finding to determine the cause of the fever. However, in the interview, child's mother secretly expresses child abuse and her harassment with the concern and fear of the child's father. CONCLUSION: Cultural beliefs and parental power are two phenomena that prevent the use of appropriate tools for understanding stresses and bitter experiences of childhood. For these reasons, history taking and physical examination by doctors and nurses in the hospital are limited only to the physical examinations. Therefore, there is a need for laws and strong supporters who can support doctors and nurses to report child abuse.