A Study on Clinical Profile & Outcome of Scrub Typhus in a Rural Medical College in West Bengal

Introduction. In the recent years the number of scrub typhus cases have been consistently on the rise in South Bengal districts. Scrub typhus can present with an array of symptoms and there are multifarious complications associated with the disease if not diagnosed in time and treated appropriately. With this background, we conducted this study to evaluate the clinical profile and outcome of Scrub typhus in a rural medical college in West Bengal. Aims & Objectives: The aims & objectives of this retrospective study were to know the clinical profile and treatment outcome of Scrub typhus. Material & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical profile and treatment outcome of scrub typhus based on cases diagnosed as Scrub Typhus in Pediatric ward in our unit from 1.5.2021 to 31.7. 2021, confirmed by IgM ELISA. Result: We treated a total of 52 patients who were diagnosed with scrub typhus. We had infants as young as 53days old suffering from this disease. We observed a variety of symptoms and signs of which fever, pallor, hepatosplenomegaly were most common. The major complications include meningoencephalitis, anemia, hepatitis, myocarditis and pneumonia. All patients responded well to antimicrobial therapy (azithromycin/doxycycline) and there were no mortality. Conclusion: Scrub typhus is treatable with specific antimicrobials, an early and accurate diagnosis is essential for reducing risks of severe complications and death.