Scrub Typhus among Febrile Patients Admitted to the Department of Medicine in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by obligate intracellular bacteria of the family Rickettsia after an incubation period of 6-21 days. The disease may lead to several complications such as acute hepatitis, sepsis, myocarditis, respiratory distress and disseminated vasculitis if not treated properly. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of scrub typhus among febrile patients admitted to the Department of Medicine in a tertiary care centre. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among febrile patients admitted to the Department of Medicine in a tertiary care centre from 12 November 2020 to 11 May 2023 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 26/076-077). All patients with acute febrile illness from 17 years to 70 years were included. Patients with an acute febrile illness diagnosed with other infections such as dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid, brucellosis, malaria, and COVID-19 were excluded. Convenience sampling was done. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 640 patients presenting with acute febrile illness, 38 (5.94%) (4.11-7.77, 95% Confidence Interval) patients were diagnosed to have scrub typhus. Among 38 patients, 2 (5.26%) patients suffered from acute hepatitis, and 1 (2.63%) each suffered from sepsis, myocarditis, disseminated vasculitis and respiratory distress. Conclusions: The prevalence of scrub typhus among patients admitted to the Department of Medicine was found to be slightly higher than in other studies done in similar settings.