title: Short report: Abnormal liver function in scrub typhus.
abstract: Scrub typhus is one kind of rickettsial disease and may cause fever, cough, and skin rashes in infected humans. Regarding liver involvement, it was uncommon to be reported in previous medical literature from Western countries. This study observes the relationship between scrub typhus and liver function. From January 1998 to August 2003 in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, we observed 30 patients with scrub typhus, and 29 of them had liver function abnormality. In these patients, we found 89.3% with elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, 91.7% with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, 84.2% with elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, and 38.5% with elevated total bilirubin levels. In our study, there is a close relationship between scrub typhus and impaired liver function tests. Therefore, if patients are found with fever of unknown origin and abnormal liver function, we should take scrub typhus into consideration.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ming-Luen
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jien-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Keng-Liang
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Sheng-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Shue-Shian
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: Chung-Huang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Seng-Kee
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chuah
authors.forename: Jing-Houng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tsung-Hui
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: King-Wah
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Chuan-Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chi-Sin
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Changchien
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012612:Scrub Typhus / Q000150:complications*; D013624:Taiwan