Background: Temperature instability has been observed in infants with trisomy 21 (T21) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) but has not been described in the literature.
Methods: All infants with T21 in the NICU 2011-2017 with at least 2 days of temperatures when ≥36 weeks PMA and not receiving external thermoregulation, and 2:1 matched controls were included. Prevalence and number of temperatures < 36 and >38 °C and infection workups were compared.
Results: Hypothermia and hyperthermia were more common among T21 infants (n = 61) vs. controls: hypothermia 30% vs. 11% (p < 0.01); hyperthermia 16% vs. 8% (p = 0.13). Infants with T21 were more likely to have infection workups at the time of temperature instability (16% vs. 6%) but only one of ten workups was diagnostic of infection.
Conclusions: Temperature instability without infection is common among infants with T21 in the NICU.