Near fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome in a patient with human ehrlichiosis.
Human ehrlichiosis is not a common cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Physicians should be aware of this life-threatening but treatable entity. Progression to ARDS may be related to delay in diagnosis and treatment. Fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and a history of tick exposure in an endemic area during the spring and summer months should alert the physician to the possibility of human ehrlichiosis, since a definitive diagnosis requires serologic testing that may take weeks to confirm. We describe a case of ARDS resulting from human ehrlichiosis. A unique feature in our case was that despite the early use of doxycycline, the patient had near fatal ARDS that responded dramatically to high doses of steroids.
Patel
R G
RG
Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, USA.
Byrd
M A
MA
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008775:Methylprednisolone