Clinical features of tsutsugamushi disease in Chuncheon / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tsutsugamushi disease is an acute febrile disease in Korea. Some patients with tsutsugamushi disease have severe illness, which needs care in intensive care unit, and may die due to the disease. We analyzed the cases with tsutsugamushi disease who lived in Chuncheon and neighboring communities to find out clinical manifestations, laboratory findings especially in severe cases. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of the 81 cases who were diagnosed as tsutsugamushi in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital from April, 1997 to December, 2002. We analyzed the clinical and laboratory findings of the 81 cases, and the treatment results of 79 cases who recieved the treatment in this hospital. We also compared the characteristics of the patients between admission to general ward and intensive care unit (ICU). RESULTS: Seventy three cases developed the disease in autumn. Seventy cases had fever. 58 cases had eschar in their bodies. With the doxycycline treatment, forty five cases subsided the fever within 48 hours, but in 13 cases, fever continued after 5 days of treatment. Twenty five cases were admitted to ICU, 8 cases among them were treated with ventilator, 3 cases died due to the multi-organ failure. When we compared the clinical characteristics of the patients admitted to ICU with those to general wards, leukocyte count, the level of BUN and creatinine were higher, the albumin level was lower in ICU patients than those of general ward patients. CONCLUSION: Tsutsugamushi disease can progress to severe disease, and be fatal to the patients. So it is necessary to diagnose early and treat carefully. We suggest that leukocyte count, BUN, creatinine, or albumin can be used to predict the prognosis.