title: A simple validated prediction rule to diagnose typhoid fever in Turkey.
abstract: The goal of this study was to develop a simple prediction rule for the diagnosis of typhoid fever. A model for the prediction of patients with typhoid fever at hospital admission was derived and validated by assigning weighted point values to independent predictive factors associated with a diagnosis of typhoid fever at hospital admission. Patient demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were used to compare patients with blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever with patients with fever of unknown origin. The model was derived and validated in two separate cohorts of patients from Dicle University Hospital in Diyarbakir, Turkey. A total of 371 patients were enrolled. A diagnostic index score was created using seven independent predictive factors associated with typhoid fever at hospital admission: age <30 years, abdominal distention, confusion, leukopenia, relative bradycardia, positive Widal test and a typhoid tongue. A clinical prediction rule helped to differentiate patients with typhoid fever.
authors.affiliation: Dicle University Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Anabilim Dali, 21280, Diyarbakir, Turkey. hosoglu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hosoglu
authors.forename: Mehmet Faruk
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Geyik
authors.forename: Serife
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akalin
authors.forename: Celal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayaz
authors.forename: Omer Faruk
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Kokoglu
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loeb
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000592:standards; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*