A patient who made an impact on how I practice: Severe leptospirosis presenting as ARDS in the ICU

Evangelia S Panagiotidou; Sofia V Akritidou; Seraphim T Kotoulas; Evdokia K Sourla; Basilis G Mpikos; Basilis P Bagalas; Ioannis T Stanopoulos; Katalin M Fekete; Athanasia D Pataka

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2017.03.004

A patient who made an impact on how I practice: Severe leptospirosis presenting as ARDS in the ICU

J Infect Public Health. 2018 Jan-Feb;11(1):133-135. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.03.004. Epub 2017 Apr 20.

Authors

Evangelia S Panagiotidou¹, Sofia V Akritidou¹, Seraphim T Kotoulas¹, Evdokia K Sourla¹, Basilis G Mpikos¹, Basilis P Bagalas¹, Ioannis T Stanopoulos¹, Katalin M Fekete¹, Athanasia D Pataka²

Affiliations

¹ Respiratory Failure Unit, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
² Respiratory Failure Unit, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: patakath@yahoo.gr.

PMID: 28434776
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.03.004

Abstract

Severe leptospirosis can be a rare cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiorgan failure. A patient who made an impact on how I practice was a case of severe leptospirosis (Weil's disease) that presented as ARDS in the ICU. Leptospirosis is an under-reported infectious disease worldwide and should be considered as a cause of ARDS especially in patients with exposure history complicated with diffuse alveolar bleeding (DAH), icteric hepatitis and renal deterioration. Empiric treatment should be recommended before confirmation of laboratory tests as serological diagnosis is time consuming.

Keywords: ARDS; Alveolar bleeding; Icteric hepatitis; Leptospirosis; Renal failure.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aged
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Leptospirosis / diagnosis*
Leptospirosis / pathology*
Male
Radiography, Thoracic
Respiratory Distress Syndrome / pathology*
Tomography, X-Ray Computed