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 5
Characteristics for 2,532 case-patients with leptospirosis, by sex, the Netherlands, 1925–2008*
| Characteristic | Male patients, n = 2,306 | Female patients, n = 226 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, y (SD) | 34.5 (17.0) | 26.4 (16.5) | <0.001 |
| Patients with imported cases |
278 (12.1) |
40 (17.8) |
0.014 |
| Type of contact | |||
| Recreational activity | 1,086 (47.1) | 162 (71.7) | 0.001 |
| Job-related | 666 (28.9) | 18 (8.0) | <0.001 |
| Accident | 339 (14.7) | 27 (11.9) | 0.235 |
| Unknown |
215 (9.3) |
19 (8.4) |
|
| Treatment course† | |||
| Hospitalization | 1,683 (73.0) | 163 (72.1) | 0.781 |
| Dialysis‡ | 118 (9.3) | 1 (1.1) | 0.007 |
| ICU§ |
102 (6.7) |
4 (3.4) |
0.063 |
| Death† | 160 (6.9) | 6 (2.6) | 0.013 |
*Values are no. (%) unless otherwise indicated. Data for age and sex were available for 2,422 patients, and data for autochthonous or imported infections and sex were available for 2,528 patients. ICU, intensive care unit.
†Percentages were calculated from available data (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.
‡Dialysis data were available for 795 of 1,360 patients (732 of 1,263 male patients and 63 of 93 female patients) (January 1961–December 2008). Before 1961, dialysis was not expected to be used.
§ICU data were available for 625 of 1,641 patients (573 of 1,518 male patients and 52 of 119 female patients) (April 1955–December 2008). Before 1955, ICU was not expected to be used.