Clinical profile of leptospirosis in South gujarat.

• Main Authors: Clerke A, Leuva A, Joshi C, Trivedi S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2002-04-01
• Series: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Cohort Studies; Female; Human; Incidence; India; epidemiology; Leptospirosis; diagnosis; Male; Middle Age; Risk Factors; Rural Population; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Distribution; Survival Analysis; Weil Disease
• Online Access: http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2002;volume=48;issue=2;spage=117;epage=8;aulast=Clerke
• ISSN: 0022-3859; 0972-2823

BACKGROUND: South Gujarat has been witnessing increasing incidence of leptospirosis for the last few years. AIM: To study the clinical profile of leptospirosis in South Gujarat. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Prospective study during July-September 2000 at the New Civil Hospital, Surat, Gujarat. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the consecutive cases with clinical suspicion of leptospirosis were screened for lgM antileptospira antibody on the first and the fourteenth day. A four fold or greater increase in agglutinin antibody titre on paired samples was considered diagnostic. If the patient died before the fourteenth day then initial titre greater than 1:15 was considered diagnostic. RESULTS: Total number of patients referred to the hospital were fifty, of which thirty-eight [33 males, with age 14-50 (30 +/- 10.51)] were diagnosed as having leptospirosis. Most common organs involved were liver (27, 71.05%) and kidney (24, 63.15%). Cardio-vascular (12, 31.5%), pulmonary (10, 26.35%), neurological (2, 5.26%) and haematological (8, 21%) involvements were less common. Six patients died because of pulmonary involvement in the form of alveolar haemorrhage, while one died because of cardiac involvement. CONCLUSION: Liver and kidney were the most commonly involved organs in severe leptospirosis. Pulmonary involvement, though uncommon, led to high mortality.