[Q fever on the island of La Palma. A review of 35 patients].

We present 35 patients diagnosed as suffering from Q fever during 1986, 1987, 1988. We establish a diagnosis criteria of complement titres greater than or equal to 1/64 or indirect immunofluorescent titres (IIT) 4 or more times higher than the initial, or a maintained title greater than or equal to 1/640 with specific IgM detected by positive IIT. 80% were male with a median age of 40.3 years. 85% had had contact with goats. 77% lived on the west side of the island 88.5% had increased GOT and GPT and only 5.7% had pneumonia. One patient previously healthy had ards, needing prolonged mechanical ventilation, and one patient had A-V blockade grade III which was treated successfully. We comment on the high incidence observed, which showed and endemic situation, and the epidemiological and clinical features of the disease.