Content of this journal is licensed under a Dear Editor,
We appreciate the interest in our study and the valuable feedback provided. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the accuracy of commonly used body temperature measurement methods in children and to determine cutoff values for fever.1 As correctly highlighted by the authors, hypothermia is a significant clinical condition in pediatric patients.
A study investigating the prognostic impact of body temperature at admission in 1144 pediatric patients with sepsis found that the in-hospital mortality rate in the hypothermia group was 7.5 times higher than that in the normothermia group, whereas the mortality rate in the hyperthermia group was 5.0 times higher than that in the normothermia group.2 These findings underscore the critical importance of objectively assessing hypothermia.
However, hypothermia remains a rare condition in children, particularly in emergency and outpatient settings, where febrile cases are encountered much more frequently. Conducting a reliable assessment of hypothermia requires large-scale prospective studies specifically targeting patients with low body temperature. Nevertheless, the low incidence of pediatric hypothermia presents methodological challenges in designing such studies. Despite these challenges, we acknowledge the importance of further research on this topic.
Funding Statement
This study received no funding.
Footnotes
Peer-review: Externally peer-reviewed.
Author Contributions: Concept – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Design – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Supervision – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Resources – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Materials – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Data Collection and/or Processing – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Literature Search – G.I.B., I.K.S.; Writing –G.I.B., I.K.S.; Critical Review – G.I.B., I.K.S.
Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data Availability Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
References
- 1. Savaş IK, Bayhan Gİ. What is the difference between the different types of thermometers? Turk Arch Pediatr. 2025;60(1):78 83. ( 10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2025.24240) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Wang H, Chang Y, Xin M, et al. Hypothermia or hyperthermia, which is associated with patient outcomes in critically ill children with sepsis? -A retrospective study. BMJ Open. 2023;13(4):e067716. ( 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067716) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.