Volume 19, Number 3—March 2013
Synopsis
Human Leptospirosis Trends, the Netherlands, 1925–2008
, Kimberly R. Boer, Tamara A.T.E. Duarte, Suzanne J. Kliffen, and Rudy A. Hartskeerl
Table 2
Treatment parameters for and deaths among case-patients with leptospirosis, the Netherlands, 1925–2008*
| Characteristic | No. (%) total cases | No. (%) autochthonous cases | No. (%) imported cases | No. patients | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | |||||
| Total | 166 (6.5) | 162 (7.3) | 4 (1.3) | 2,553 | <0.001 |
| Male patients |
160 (97.0) |
156 (96.9) |
4 (100.0) |
2,306 |
0.861 |
| Treatment course† | |||||
| Hospitalization | 1,851 (72.5) | 1,612 (72.3) | 235 (73.9) | 2,553 | 0.539 |
| Antimicrobial drugs | 1,216 (68.5) | 994 (68.2) | 219 (69.5) | 1,597‡ | 0.652 |
| Dialysis | 119 (8.8) | 103 (9.8) | 15 (5.0) | 796§ | 0.009 |
| ICU | 106 (6.5) | 83 (6.3) | 23 (7.3) | 626¶ | 0.485 |
*ICU, intensive care unit.
†Percentages were calculated from available data (all missing values were regarded as no). It was assumed that analyzing data that contained large amounts of missing values would result in findings that could not be generalized and lead to substantial overestimated values.
‡Antimicrobial drug data were available for 1,597 of 1,776 infected patients, 1,306 of 1,457 patients with autochthonous cases, and 288 of 315 patients with imported cases (January 1950–December 2008). Before 1950, treatment with antimicrobial drugs was not expected to be used.
§Dialysis treatment data were available for 796 of 1,360 infected patients, 559 of 1,053 patients with autochthonous cases, and 234 of 303 patients with imported cases (January 1961–December 2008). Before 1961, dialysis treatment was not expected to be used.
¶ICU data were available for 626 of 1,641 infected patients, 441 of 1,324 patients with autochthonous cases, and 183 of 313 patients with imported cases (April 1955–December 2008). Before 1955, treatment in an ICU was not expected to be used.