Current opinion in pediatrics
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Pneumonia is a common serious illness in children with acute episodes of fever and in children with more prolonged episodes of fever, termed fevers of unknown origin. Recent studies have demonstrated that the clinical evaluation, including observation, history, and the physical examination, is highly sensitive in identifying children with acute episodes of fever who have pneumonia. The sensitivity of the clinical evaluation for pneumonia has been demonstrated for febrile infants younger than 90 days of age as well as older children. In children with fever of unknown origin, the chest roentgenogram is considered part of the diagnostic evaluation, but further research may define specific indications for its use based on observation, history, and physical examination.