unusual cause of hemoptysis in a young male patient

ABSTRACT

Leptospirosis is an acute generalized infectious disease, caused by spirochaetes, Leptospira interrogans. The severity of the disease ranges from an asymptomatic subclinical course to a fatal outcome. Pulmonary involvement is common but often mild and of little clinical significance. However, over the last two decades an increasing number of cases have been reported with pulmonary haemorrhage as a prominent feature. We describe here a case of leptospirosis who presented with cough and hemoptysis. The patient acquired the disease in Saudi Arabia. Even in the absence of any travel, the association of fever, hemoptysis, jaundice, and thrombocytopenia, should lead to the suspicion of leptospirosis. Clinical and epidemiological aspects of the disease are discussed in the article