Shubhanker Mitra

Acute undifferentiated febrile illness in patients presenting to a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India: clinical spectrum and outcome

Background: Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) may have similar clinical presentation, and the etiology is varied and region specific. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in South India. All adult patients presenting with AUFI of 3-14 days duration were evaluated for etiology, and the differences in presentation and outcome were analyzed. Results: The study cohort included 1258 patients. A microbiological cause was identified in 82.5% of our patients. Scrub typhus was the most common cause of AUFI (35.9%) followed by dengue (30.6%), malaria (10.4%), enteric fever (3.7%), and leptospirosis (0.6%). Both scrub typhus and dengue fever peaked during the monsoon season and the cooler months, whereas no seasonality was observed with enteric fever and malaria. The mean time to presentation was longer in enteric fever (9.9 [4.7] days) and scrub typhus (8.2 [3.2] days). Bleeding manifestations were seen in 7.7% of patients, mostly associated with dengue (14%), scrub typhus (4.2%), and malaria (4.6%). The requirement of supplemental oxygen, invasive ventilation, and inotropes was higher in scrub typhus, leptospirosis, and malaria. The overall mortality rate was 3.3% and was highest with scrub typhus (4.6%) followed by dengue fever (2.3%). Significant clinical predictors of scrub typhus were breathlessness (odds ratio [OR]: 4.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.38-7.3), total whole blood cell count >10,000 cells/mm 3 (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.64-3.24), serum albumin <3.5 g % (OR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.68-3.2). Overt bleeding manifestations (OR: 2.98; 95% CI: 1.84-4.84), and a platelet count of <150,000 cells/mm 3 (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.47-2.98) were independent predictors of dengue fever. Conclusion: The similarity in clinical presentation and diversity of etiological agents demonstrates the complexity of diagnosis and treatment of AUFI in South India. The etiological profile will be of use in the development of rational guidelines for control and treatment of AUFI.

Scrub typhus meningitis: An under-recognized cause of aseptic meningitis in India

BACKGROUND Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in scrub typhus is seen in up to a quarter of patients. However, the literature on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and outcome in meningitis/meningo-encephalitis due to scrub typhus is scant. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study included patients who were admitted to a medical college hospital with scrub typhus meningitis/meningo-encephalitis between 2005 and 2011. The clinical and laboratory profile, details of CSF analysis and outcome were documented. RESULTS The study included 189 patients with meningitis/meningo-encephalitis due to scrub typhus. The mean age of the patients was 41 ± 4 years. The mean duration of fever before presentation was 9.4 ± 3 days. The common presenting complaints were headache (64.2%), nausea/vomiting (60%), altered sensorium (53.7%) and seizures (22.1%). The presence of an eschar was documented in 27.5% of the patients. The mean CSF white blood count was 80 cells/cu mm (range: 5-740). There was a clear lymphocyte predominance (mean 87.6%). The mean CSF protein level was 105 mg% (range: 13-640). The mean CSF sugar level was 63.9 mg% (range 25-350), and was less than 40 mg% in 11.1% of the cases. The case fatality rate was 5.8% (11/189). Univariate analysis showed the presence of an eschar (15.4% vs 2.2%; Odds Ratio [OR]: 8.1) and altered sensorium (9.8% vs 1.1%; OR: 9.2) to be significant predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS In endemic regions, scrub typhus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis. Modest elevation of cells in the CSF with lymphocytic pleocytosis and multi-organ involvement may indicate scrub typhus meningitis/meningo-encephalitis.

Changing paradigm of cryptococcal meningitis: an eight-year experience from a tertiary hospital in South India.

Background: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a common opportunistic fungal infection causing sub-acute meningitis with the potential for complications and significant mortality. We conducted this study to describe the difference in presentation and outcome between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients. Materials and Methods: Patients admitted to a tertiary care centre between 2005 and 2013 with confirmed CM were included in the analysis. Details of the clinical presentation, laboratory findings, treatment details, risk factors for infection and outcome were documented and analysed. Results: During the study period, 102 (87.2%) cases of CM occurred among HIV infected individuals, whereas 15 (12.8%) occurred among HIV-uninfected patients. HIV-infected patients with CM were younger compared with HIV-uninfected patients (38.2 ± 8.5 years vs. 45 ± 11.5 years; P = 0.07). The median duration of symptoms prior to presentation was shorter in the HIV-infected group (20 ± 32 vs. 30 ± 42; P = 0.03). There was no difference between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocyte counts, CSF protein counts, and CSF sugar levels in both the groups. The diagnostic yield of Cryptococcus was similar with CSF India ink smear (89% vs. 87%), CSF fungal culture (95% vs. 87%), and blood culture (100% vs. 75%) in both the groups. Case fatality rate in the HIV-infected group was 30.6%, whereas there were no deaths in the HIV-uninfected group. Conclusion: HIV-infected patients with CM have a worse outcome compared to HIV-uninfected patients. The overall trend over 3 decades shows increasingly successful rates of treatment and hence early diagnosis and treatment are of paramount importance.

Clinico-epidemiological Profile of Snake Bites over 6-year Period from a Rural Secondary Care Centre of Northern India: A Descriptive Study.

Estimated deaths due to snake bites are more than 46,000 annually in India. Ninety-seven percent bites occur in rural areas. Data on snake bites from Jharkhand rural area are sparse. This study describes 6 years profile of snake bite patients from January, 2007 to December, 2012 at Nav Jivan Hospital in Palamu district, Jharkhand.

Role of emergency ultrasound screening in the management of acute pyelonephritis in emergency department: A large observational study from a tertiary care center of South India

Background: Role of emergency ultrasound screening (EUS) in the evaluation of all patients with clinically suspected acute pyelonephritis (APN) in the emergency department (ED) remains unclear. The aim of the study was to describe the frequency of abnormal EUS findings in APN presenting to ED and ascertain the laboratory abnormalities associated with significant abnormal findings to identify the subgroup of patients who will benefit from EUS in ED. Methodology: In this retrospective study, electronic medical records were searched to identify all adult patients who underwent EUS screening from ED for initial clinical diagnosis of APN over 1 year. The EUS findings were categorized into normal, major abnormalities (hydronephrosis, renal abscess, and emphysematous pyelonephritis), and mild abnormalities (cysts, calculi, and renal edema). Results: A total of 1218 patients with initial clinically diagnosed APN underwent EUS. Nearly 49% had a normal EUS while 51% had at least one major or minor abnormality. The frequency of hydroureteronephrosis, renal calculi emphysematous changes, and renal abscess was 19.1%, 8.9%, 2.1%, and 1.9%, respectively. Only 72 (5.9%) patients required emergency percutaneous nephrostomy or drainage of an abscess. Among these patients, EUS was able to identify a major abnormality in sixty (83.3%) patients. Male gender, presence of diabetes mellitus, peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count >10,000 cells/cumm, serum creatinine >1.4 mg%, and urine WBC count >100 cells/hpf were found to independently predict the presence of an abnormality on an EUS. Conclusion: A large proportion of APN patients have only normal or minor abnormalities and do not need additional screening and intervention.

Clinical score to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue: A tool to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue

Background: Dengue and scrub typhus share similar clinical and epidemiological features, and are difficult to differentiate at initial presentation. Many places are endemic to both these infections where they comprise the majority of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses. Materials and Methods: We aimed to develop a score that can differentiate scrub typhus from dengue. In this cross-sectional study, 188 cases of scrub typhus and 201 cases of dengue infection who presented to the emergency department or medicine outpatient clinic from September 2012 to April 2013 were included. Univariate followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify clinical features and laboratory results that were significantly different between the two groups. Each variable was assigned scores based on the strength of association and receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (ROC-AUC) was generated and compared. Six scoring models were explored to ascertain the model with the best fit. Results: Model 2 was developed using the following six variables: oxygen saturation (>90%, ≤90%), total white blood cell count (<4000, 4001–7000 and >7000 cells/cumm), hemoglobin (≤14 and >14 g/dL), total bilirubin (<2 and ≥2 mg/dL), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (>200 and ≥200 IU/dL), and altered sensorium (present or absent). Each variable was assigned scores based on its strength of association. The AUC-ROC curve (95% confidence interval) for model 2 was 0.84 (0.79–0.89). At the cut off score of 13, the sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 77% respectively, with a higher score favoring dengue. Conclusion: In areas of high burden of ST and dengue, model 2 (the “clinical score to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue fever”) is a simple and rapid clinical scoring system that may be used to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue at initial presentation.

Profile of deliberate self-harm patients presenting to emergency department: a retrospective study

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a major under-recognized epidemic in the low- and middle-income countries. This is a large retrospective study form the Emergency Department (ED) of Tertiary Care Center of South India to describe the clinicodemographic features of DSH cases. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at ED of Christian Medical College, Vellore, India from January 01, 2011 to December 31, 2013. All cases of DSH were included in the study. The demographic details, mode of DSH and clinical outcome were extracted from the electronic medical record. Descriptive statistics are presented. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. For all tests, a two-sided P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Total of 1228 patients were admitted to ED for DSH during the study period. Male and female occurred in equal ratio. More than half of the cases occurred among age group below 30 years. Consumption of pesticides (agricultural chemicals) was the single most common mode of DSH (46%), especially among men, followed by medication overdose (29.8%). Consumption of plant poison and tablet overdose was higher among women. Overall mortality due to DSH was low (1.5%) in our study. Conclusion: DSH is under-recognized major public health problem in low-middle income countries like India. Most cases occur among young and productive age group and in equal frequencies among men and women. Timely and the appropriate institution of treatment can decrease the morbidity and mortality due to DSH remarkably.

Changing trends of Infective endocarditis in India: A South Indian experience

Background: The etiology of the ventricular dilation and dysfunction that occurs in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is unknown. Aim: The present study was aimed to study clinical characteristics of the patients admitted with idiopathic DCM and compare them with healthy controls. Methods: Thirty newly diagnosed patients with DCM and 30 healthy control were enrolled from Cardiology OPD, PGIMER, Chandigarh from Jan 2011 to Jun 2012. Patients with heart failure secondary to idiopathic DCM of age >18 years were included if they were willing, provide written informed consent and does not meet any of the exclusion criteria. Idiopathic DCM was diagnosed by the presence of left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction (LVEF Results: Mean age of idiopathic DCM patients and control was 48.37±10.82 years and 49.2±9.27 (P=0.75) respectively. There were more males (66.7%) than females (33.3%) in the patient group. It was observed that the treatment with beta blockers, furosemide, spironolactone, ACE inhibitors, and ARBs significantly improved ejection fraction (EF) (P=0.000), and LVES (P=0.000). Conclusion: In our study, treatment with the medications significantly improved EF and LVES. However, there was no treatment-based difference in the patients on ACE inhibitors or ARBs in the improvement in EF. Our study also observed significance difference in platelets count, SGOT, SGPT, and LDL levels in idiopathic DCM patients when compared with healthy controls. Key words: DCM, LVEF, LVES, NYHA Class, ACE Inhibitors, ARBs

Validation of a clinical score to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue

Background: Scrub typhus and dengue are two major causes of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in many parts of India and are difficult to differentiate at initial presentation. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted in a large emergency department (ED) between September 2014 and December 2014. The clinical score to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue (CSSD) was validated on confirmed cases of scrub typhus and dengue who presented during the study period. The six variables used in CSSD were SpO2, hemoglobin, total white blood cell count, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase level, serum bilirubin, and sensorium. Results: During the study period, 134 confirmed cases of scrub typhus and dengue were included in the analysis, of which 68 were scrub typhus and 66 were dengue. A male predominance was seen in dengue (60.6%), whereas females comprised the majority in scrub typhus (58.8%). Among 68 confirmed cases of scrub typhus, 32 patients have CSSD score < 13, favoring scrub typhus. Among 66 confirmed cases of dengue, 64 patients have CSSD score ≥13, favoring dengue. CSSD has high specificity (97%) and positive predictive value (94%) for scrub typhus patients. CSSD score has high sensitivity (97%) and negative predictive value (94%) for dengue patients. Conclusion: The CSSD is a simple and inexpensive score that can be done rapidly at initial presentation of the patient to the ED. It has a high specificity and positive predictive value for scrub typhus and high sensitivity and negative predictive value for dengue and can be used to differentiate scrub typhus and dengue within a few hours of presentation to the hospital.

Leprous neuromyositis: A rare clinical entity and review of the literature.

Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy (Hansens disease), is a slow growing intracellular acid-fast bacillus that affects the skin, peripheral nerves and respiratory tract. In patients with suppressed cell-mediated immunity, the infiltration of the Bacilli can produce disseminated illness such as leprous neuromyositis. We reported a case of 56-year-old gentleman presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin, asymmetric sensory motor axonal polyneuropathy and was on chronic exogenous steroid therapy. On evaluation, his skin, muscle, nerve and bone marrow biopsy showed numerous globi of acid-fast Bacilli suggestive of leprous neuromyositis, a rare form of disseminated Hansens disease. We reported this case in view of its rarity, atypical manifestation of a relatively rare disease and literature review on poor electrophysiological correlation in the diagnosis of leprous neuromyositis as compared to the histopathological examination.