title: [Severe leptospirosis. Description of a series of 10 cases].
abstract: Clinical aspects of 10 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute human leptospirosis, confirmed by serology using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), between 1975 and 1988 in a 1000 beds Teaching Hospital are retrospectively analyzed. All of them were male, mean age of 55, presenting a suggestive epidemiological data to be at risk for Leptospira infection. Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae was responsible for 8 cases and Leptospira canicola for 2. 7 patients were treated, after 3-4 days of admittance, with penicillin. 5 patients died. Cause of death was gastrointestinal haemorrhage in 3 and cardiogenic shock in 2. We discuss the clinical, biochemical, pathological and therapeutic aspects of the acute human leptospirosis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Universidad de Barcelona.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mariscal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trilla
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mensa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pumarola
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Jiménez de Anta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Leptospirosis grave. Descripción de una serie de 10 casos.