Title: Prevalence of Leptospirosis among Cases of Undifferentiated Febrile Illness reported to a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of Kashmir Valley
Authors: Dr Tabeen Mansoor MBBS, MD, Prof. (Dr) Bashir Ahmad Fomda MBBS, MD, Dr Tufail Ahmed MBBS, MD, Dr Insha Altaf MBBS, MD,
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i5.70
Abstract
Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonosis that is globally being recorded as an epidemic threat in developing countries. The spectrum of disease ranges from sub clinical infection to a severe syndrome of multiorgan dysfunction. We conducted this study with an aim to estimate the prevalence of Leptospirosisin cases of undifferentiated febrile illness.
Material and Methods: All patients presenting with undifferentiated fever of >38o C of less than two weeks duration and who lacked localization or organ-specific clinical features were included in the study. IgM antibodies against leptospira antigen were detected by Elisa.
Results: The prevalence of Leptospirosis among the cases was estimated to be 6.4% [CI : 5.1-7.8].The highest prevalence of Leptospirosis was found in the age group of 20-39 years (9.4%) followed by age group 40-59 years (4.5%). Leptospirosis was found to be more prevalent among females (7.5%) than males (5.6%) and those living in rural areas (6.4%).The age of the cases ranged from 6 years to 65 years. Male:Female ratio was found to be 1.6:1. Most common presenting complaints were headache (77.3%), fatigue (32.84%), vomiting (31.97%), arthralgia (29.06%), severe myalgia (26.16%), cough (15.11%), nausea (14.53%), hypertension (4.65%), diarrhea (4.36%), and skin necrosis (3.19%). Age group >60 years (4.3%) and age group 0-19 years (2.7%).
Conclusion: Our analysis suggest that the prevalence of Leptospirosis in our study is far less than compared to other states of India.
Keywords: Leptospirosis, Undifferentiated febrile illness, Zoonosis.
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