Abstract

Objective: To document the clinical and laboratory findings of scrub typhus infection and to determine the prognostic factors of the disease. Methods: Retrospective data were collected from 96 patients with scrub typhus infection, from January 2012 to December 2013, at Yashoda hospital, Hyderabad. Prognostic factors for severe scrub typhus were analyzed by a multivariate analysis. Results: Out of 96 patients, men were 47 (48.9%) and median age was 39 years. Patients with low socioeconomic status were 53 (55.3%). Among the 96 patients 46 (47.9%) had severe scrub typhus, 50 (52.1%) had mild severe scrub typhus. Two patients (2%) died. Symptoms of cough (P=0.001), presence of eschar (P<0.001), Glasgow coma scale (GCS) below 12 (0.04), hepatomegaly (P=0.0001), splenomegaly (P=0.000 1), and meningoencephalitis (P=0.01), were significantly associated with severe scrub typhus. Multivariate analysis showed presence of eschar (odds 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-8.5), hepatomegaly (odds 1.9; 95% CI 1.1-3.8), meningoencephalitis (odds 4.8; 95% CI 1.1-21.8), GCS<12 (odds 1.8; 95% CI 0.5-2.4) and cough (odds 1.5; 95% CI 0.7-3.5) to be significantly associated with severe scrub typhus. Conclusions: In our study, eschar, hepatomegaly, meningoencephalitis, poor GCS and cough were significantly associated with severe scrub typhus.

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