Background: Tsutsugamushi disease, caused by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, is one of the most important acute febrile illnesses occurring throughout Korea during fall, but there are only a few reports about patients with tsutsugamushi disease in
Pusan,
Method: We analyzed clinical features of 35 patients with tsutsugamushi disease retrospectively(3 patients) and prospectively(32 patients), who admitted to Dong-A University Hospital and were diagnosed with immunofluorescent assay,
Results: 1) Of 35 patients, 12 were male and 23 were female, The mean age was 51,
2) Ninety percent of patients occurred in October and November, Most of patients had chances to exposure to R, tsutsugamushi(e, g, workings in the dry fields or rice fields, mountainings, trips to countryside), but 4 patient(11%) didn't have
those,
3) Incubation period was 3-6 days, Common clinical findings were fever and chill(100%), headache(74%), myalgia(63%), cough and sputum(51%), nausea and vomiting(46%), generalized weakness(40%), abdominal pain(37%), arthralgia(34%), eschar(86%),
skin
rash(77%), hepatomegaly(40%), ad lymphadenopathy(37%)
4) Laboratory abnormalities were proteinuria(46%), increased serum AST(71%), increased serum ALT(69%), increased serum alkaline phosphatase(40%), increased serum LDH(73%), hypoalbuminemia(23%), thrombocytopenia931%), and chest X-ray
abnormalities(61%),
Neither hyperbilirubinemia nor azotemia was found,
5) Responses to doxycycline or chloramphenicol were so excellent that all patients recovered without complications,
Conclusion: Tsutsugamushi disease in Pusan was characterized by female predominence, fever, chill, headache, myalgia, eschar, eschar, skin rash, lymphadenopathy, proteinuria, hepatic dysfunctions, thrombocytopenia, chest X-ray abnormalities and a
benign
clinical course,
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