Volume 17, Number 9—September 2011
Research
Leptospirosis as Frequent Cause of Acute Febrile Illness in Southern Sri Lanka
Megan E. Reller
, Champika Bodinayake, Ajith Nagahawatte, Vasantha Devasiri, Wasantha Kodikara-Arachichi, John J. Strouse, Judith E. Flom, J. Stephen Dumler, and Christopher W. Woods
, Champika Bodinayake, Ajith Nagahawatte, Vasantha Devasiri, Wasantha Kodikara-Arachichi, John J. Strouse, Judith E. Flom, J. Stephen Dumler, and Christopher W. WoodsTable 2
Clinical characteristics of febrile patients with acute leptospirosis versus those without acute leptospirosis, southern Sri Lanka, 2007*
| Clinical characteristic | With acute leptospirosis, n = 120 | Without acute leptospirosis, n = 653 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Symptom | |||
| Headache | 81 | 78 | 0.63 |
| Sore throat | 28 | 29 | 0.96 |
| Cough | 44 | 60 | <0.005 |
| Dyspnea | 15 | 18 | 0.48 |
| Joint pain | 56 | 43 | <0.01 |
| Muscle pain | 62 | 46 | <0.005 |
| Lethargy | 58 | 70 | <0.01 |
| Abdominal pain | 22 | 18 | 0.41 |
| Emesis | 45 | 37 | 0.10 |
| Diarrhea | 13 | 12 | 0.80 |
| Dysuria | 20 | 13 | <0.05 |
| Oliguria |
17 |
8 |
<0.005 |
| Sign | |||
| Mean temperature, °C (SD) | 38.6 (0.6) | 38.5 (0.6) | 0.17 |
| Median heart rate, beats/min (IQR) | 80 (72–100) | 84 (76–96) | 0.85 |
| Mean body mass index, kg/m2 (SD) | 20.7 (4.8) | 19.6 (5.1) | <0.05 |
| Conjunctival suffusion | 29 | 12 | <0.0005 |
| Pharyngeal exudate | 8 | 15 | <0.05 |
| Lymphadenopathy | 24 | 23 | 0.73 |
| Jaundice | 2 | 2 | 0.73 |
| Lung crackles | 10 | 14 | 0.27 |
| Tender abdomen | 13 | 9 | 0.21 |
| Hepatomegaly |
8 |
5 |
0.31 |
| Laboratory parameter, median (IQR) | |||
| Leukocytes, cells/μL | 7,800 (5,700–10,500) | 7,900 (5,600–11,300) | 0.52 |
| Absolute neutrophil count, cells/μL | 5,530 (3,854–8,424) | 5,313 (3,344–7,952) | 0.49 |
| Absolute lymphocyte count, cells/μL | 1,638 (1,210–2,574) | 2,140 (1,541–2,856) | <0.005 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 12.3 (11.6–13.5) | 12.6 (11.7–13.8) | <0.05 |
| Platelets, × 1,000/μL | 200 (164–256) | 231 (190–289) | <0.0005 |
*Values are % patients in that category (with vs. without leptospirosis), except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range.
