Febrile diseases in patients hospitalized at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of the Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital (CHUYO): Epidemiological, etiological, and therapeutic aspects

Abstract

Introduction: Fever is an important problem at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of CHUYO. The aim of our study was to analyze the epidemiological, etiological, and therapeutic aspects of fever. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection lasting from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Results: Ninety-four patients out of 235 patients collected were febrile, giving a prevalence of 40%. The mean age of the patients was 42.7 ± 4.008 years, with a sex ratio of 1.08. The clinical diagnoses were predominantly bullous dermatoses, including pemphigus and Lyell’s syndrome. Infectious causes were found in 37.3% of the patients, non-infectious causes in 32.9%, and fevers of undetermined etiology in 9.6%. The main germs isolated were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibiotic therapy was administered in 86.7% of the cases, mainly aminopenicillins, in 51.1% and third-generation cephalosporin in 22.3%. Thirteen patients (13.8%) died, with mortality being related to advanced age (p = 0.006) and to recognized pathologies of serious prognosis complicated by nosocomial infection (p = 0.046). Conclusion: The cause of fever in hospitalized dermatology patients should be determined. Key words: fever; hospitalization; bullous dermatoses; CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo; Burkina Faso