RECTAL-AXILLARY TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IN FEBRILE AND AFEBRILE INFANTS AND CHILDREN

The rectal-axillary temperature difference (R-A) was measured in the m orning, at midday, and in the afternoon on 1,519 occasions in 1,149 ch ildren from birth to 5 years old. Of these, 302 children were febrile (rectal temperature greater-than-or-equal-to 38-degrees-C) and 847 wer e afebrile. A wide range in R-A was found for each individual in both groups. The magnitude of this difference was not associated with sex o r age. In febrile children, the R-A was significantly greater (P <.000 1) at the apparent onset of fever (1.04 +/- 0.25-degrees-C) than later , when fever had been present for at least two hours (0.53 +/- 0.22-de grees-C). These findings indicate that it is impossible to find a stan dard number by which to convert axillary to rectal temperature or vice versa. Furthermore axillary temperature may be relatively low or even ''normal'' despite an elevated rectal temperature at the onset of fev er.