Predictors of mortality among pediatric patients with Leptospirosis: A multicenter retrospective study

ABSTRACT

Objective@#Leptospirosis in children is one of the most common diagnostic dilemmas, hence this study was performed to determine the clinical profile, outcome and risk factors associated with mortality in patients seen at tertiary government hospitals from January 2008 to December 2012. @*Methods@#A case-control retrospective study was done among admitted patients at UP-PGH, SLH, and RITM. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regressions were utilized. @*Results@#Among the 404 leptospirosis cases included in the study, 94% were male, with 43% belonging to 16-18-year-old age group (age range 3 to 18 years old). A higher occurrence was noted during the rainy season and in Manila. Clinical findings include fever, abdominal pain, calf tenderness, vomiting and conjunctival suffusion. Significant correlation was noted in patients with jaundice (p-value 0.014; OR 6.293, CI 1.449-27.335), dyspnea (p-value 0.004; OR 7.880, CI 1.967-31.561) and cardiac abnormality (p-value 0.042; OR 15.343, CI 1.106-212.853). Abnormal laboratory findings include neutrophilia, azotemia, creatinemia, anemia, elevated bilirubin levels and thrombocytopenia. Prolonged prothrombin time was associated with poor outcome (p-value 0.004, OR 23, CI 2.79-189.67). Penicillin was the drug of choice given to 96.8%. 94.6% of cases who had oliguric renal failure were conservatively converted to non-oliguric type. 5.4% underwent peritoneal dialysis and survived. Inotropes were used in 93% of non-survivors. The case fatality rate was 3.5% with the cause of death mostly due to Weil’s disease. The average hospital stay among survivors was 6.8+3.3 days as compared with 1.8+1.9 days in non survivors. Shorter hospital stay (p-value 0.00; OR 3.514, CI 2.115-5.839), as well as inotropic support (p-value 0.035; OR 62.511, CI 1.33-2949.134), were associated with poorer outcome, but these findings can be attributed to late presentation of cases at the hospital for admission. @*Conclusion@#A5 year review of patients with leptospirosis showed that jaundice, dyspnea, cardiac abnormality and prolonged prothrombin time were predictive of mortality.