Differential Diagnosis for 10 yo Female with One Day Subjective Fever and Face Hurts
- Single Most Likely Diagnosis
- Sinusitis: This is a common condition in children that can cause facial pain and fever. The facial pain is often localized to the area of the affected sinus and can be exacerbated by bending forward or lying down.
- Other Likely Diagnoses
- Dental Abscess or Toothache: Dental issues can cause significant facial pain and may be accompanied by fever if there is an associated infection.
- Pharyngitis: Although primarily causing throat pain, some cases of pharyngitis can radiate pain to the face, especially if the infection involves the lymph nodes in the neck.
- Viral Upper Respiratory Infection (URI): Many URIs can cause facial pain due to sinus congestion and fever.
- Do Not Miss Diagnoses
- Meningitis: Although less common, meningitis is a life-threatening condition that can present with fever and facial pain, especially if the pain is severe and accompanied by other symptoms like headache, stiff neck, or confusion.
- Orbital Cellulitis: An infection of the tissues surrounding the eye, which can cause facial pain, fever, and eye symptoms like redness, swelling, and decreased vision.
- Temporal Arteritis (less common in children but can occur): This condition involves inflammation of the blood vessels and can cause severe headache and facial pain, especially when chewing.
- Rare Diagnoses
- Trigeminal Neuralgia: A rare condition characterized by sudden, severe, shock-like pain around the eyes, lips, or nose mainly because of abnormal blood vessels pressing on the trigeminal nerve in the head.
- Lyme Disease: If the child has been exposed to ticks, Lyme disease could be a consideration, as it can cause facial pain among other symptoms like a distinctive rash and fever.
- Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis: An extremely rare condition in children, involving the spread of cancer to the meninges, which could present with a wide range of neurological symptoms including facial pain.