Clinical features, etiology and short term outcomes of interstitial pneumonitis in HIV/AIDS patients.

A prospective study was conducted at Bamrasnaradura Hospital, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand from November 11, 2002 to January 5, 2003. A total of 59 HIV/AIDS patients with interstitial infiltrates on chest radiographs were included in the study. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinical manifestations and determine the etiologies of interstitial pneumonitis, assess the short-term outcomes and determine the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of the etiologies of interstitial pneumonitis in HIV/AIDS patients at Bamrasnaradura Hospital, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Tuberculosis was the most common diagnosis (44%), followed by Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (25.4%), bacterial pneumonia (20.3%) and fungal pneumonia (10.2%). In tuberculosis, compared to other diagnoses, a mild cough (p = 0.031), pallor (p = 0.021), lymphadenopathy (p < 0.001), absence of skin lesions (p = 0.003), higher mean body temperature (p = 0.004) and an absence of dyspnoea on exertion (p = 0.042) were significant findings. On multivariate analysis, however, only an absence of skin lesions (p = 0.023) remained a statistically significant predictor of TB. In Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia compared to other diagnoses, dyspnea on exertion (p = 0.014), non-purulent sputum production (p = 0.047), a higher mean respiratory rate (p < 0.001), absence of lymphadenopathy (p < 0.001) and lack of purulent sputum (p = 0.030) were significant factors. By multivariate analysis, only an absence of lymphadenopathy were shown to be independently and statistically significantly associated (p = 0.040). In bacterial pneumonia, compared to other diagnoses, production of purulent sputum (p = 0.014), hemoptysis (p = 0.006), pallor (p = 0), skin lesions (p = 0.002) and a severe cough (p = 0.020) were significantly associated factors. On multivariate analysis, none of these factors were statistically significant. In fungal pneumonia, compared to other diagnoses, headache and papulonecrotic skin lesions were common findings, but no factor had a significant association. After four weeks, 59.3% of the patients were alive, 13.6% died and 27.1% were lost to follow-up. Among the alive patients 88.6% had clinically improved. On multivariate analysis, no factor was shown to be a statistically significant predictor of death. The cumulative survival after 28 days was highest among PCP patients, followed by bacterial pneumonia, tuberculosis and fungal pneumonia, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.0453).

Gastrointestinal manifestations of septic patients with scrub typhus in Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia induced vasculitis, which is common in Asia and the Pacific Islands and is sometimes also encountered in Western countries. Even though it can cause multi-organ dysfunctions, there is limited information regarding the relationship between scrub typhus infection and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted to discover the gastrointestinal manifestations of septic patients with scrub typhus infection. During the study period, 80 septic cases were recruited, and according to the results of immunofluorescent antibody testing (IFA), 20 (25%) were found to have scrub typhus infection. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms of scrub typhus patients were vomiting 13 (65%), nausea 12 (60%), diarrhea 9 (45%), and hametamesis or melena 5 (25%). Gastrointestinal signs included hepatomegaly 8 (40%), jaundice 7 (35%), and abdominal pain 4 (20%). Elevation of SGOT, SGPT, and alkaline phosphatase were 16 (80%), 14 (70%), and 16 (80%), respectively. Direct bilirubin was elevated in 19 (95%) of the cases and half of the cases had a low serum protein level. Of scrub typhus cases, 8 (40%) had eschars. The sites of eschars were mostly in hidden areas, such as on the back, genitalia and abdomen. Three of the five patients with eschar had hepatomegaly on ultrasound examination. The significant findings of the scrub typhus septic patients with eschar on endoscopic examination were gastritis in two cases, gastritis with gastric erosion in two cases, and one case showed a duodenal ulcer and erosion. The differentiating point for endoscopic findings in scrub typhus compared to the other causes was that the stomach lesions were more frequent and severe than the duodenal lesions. According to our endoscopic findings, physicians should be aware of gastric and duodenal lesions in febrile patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain or discomfort and indigestion. Scrub typhus can cause gastrointestinal and liver dysfunction.

Septic shock secondary to scrub typhus: characteristics and complications.

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by infection with Orientia tsutsugamushi transmitted by the bite of larval trombiculid mites (chiggers). A prospective study was conducted in septic shock patients in Maharat Hospital, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand, from 12 November 2001 to 5 January 2002. Of the 51 septic shock patients studied during the 7 week period, 18 (35.3%) were found to have evidence of scrub typhus infection; 3 patients (16.7%) died. In this study, septic shock caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi is the most prominent (35.3%) in endemic area of scrub typhus. Scrub typhus with septic shock patients results in organ failure: respiratory failure, DIC were predominant, followed by renal and hepatic involvement. Two deaths were due to respiratory failure and one death was as a result of combined respiratory and renal failure. Fever was the most common symptom, followed by headache, myalgia and dyspnea; lymphadenophathy and eschar are common signs. Laboratory findings revealed that almost all of the patients had a mild leukocytosis, reduced hematocrit and thrombocytopenia; SGOT, ALP, direct bilirubin (DB), total billirubin (TB), BUN, Cr were elevated; hypoalbuminemia was noted. Urinalysis showed that 88.9% of the patients had albuminuria. 77.8% of patients had abnormal chest X-rays.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among HIV/AIDS patients in Thailand: clinical manifestations and outcomes.

A one year retrospective study, was conducted at Bamrasnaradura Hospital, Nonthaburi Province, Bangkok, Thailand, of 271 subjects with both TB and HIV/AIDS. Single males (median age group 31 to 40 years) were most likely to develop co-infection. The commonest clinical manifestations on initial presentation included a low grade fever, cough, weight loss, lymphadenopathy with pancytopenia, and lung infiltrates. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) was found in 26.6% of the subjects which was significantly associated with a past history of anti-TB treatment (p = 0.005; OR=2.5); it was also significantly associated with disseminated TB (p = 0.022; OR=1.9) and mortality (p= 0.013; OR=2.8). Analysis of clinical outcomes showed that 46.7% were lost to follow-up and 13.3% had died by the time of follow-up. Among those who survived, only 11.4% had been successfully treated; the rest had not improved due to relapse (2.9%), therapeutic failure (8.8%), treatment in progress (5.9%), and failure to complete treatment (10.7%).