Chest radiographic presentation in patients with scrub typhus.
We conducted a retrospective study of the adult patients (age ≥18 years) with serologically confirmed scrub typhus admitted between January 1998 and December 2009 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. There were 63 adult scrub typhus patients with chest radiographic examinations. A total of 147 chest radiographs were obtained and reviewed. The most frequent abnormal findings in this study were parenchymal infiltration with bilateral and lower lung predilection. The distribution of abnormal chest radiographs was observed more than 50% during the first week. Furthermore, the progressive change was frequently observed during the first week. There is a significant correlation among laboratory findings, clinical course, and outcome. Chest radiography may be a complementary tool to evaluate the clinical course of scrub typhus and chest radiographic examinations should be taken during the first week after the onset of illness.
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Hung-Cheng
HC
Chen
Huang-Chih
HC
Chang
Ya-Chun
YC
Chang
Shih-Feng
SF
Liu
Mao-Chang
MC
Su
Kuo-Tung
KT
Huang
Meng-Chih
MC
Lin
Chin-Chou
CC
Wang
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012285:Orientia tsutsugamushi / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011379:Prognosis; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012612:Scrub Typhus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed