Clinical Profile of Patients Presenting with Scrub Typhus at a Tertiary Care Center in Eastern India: A Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Scrub typhus is a reemerging rickettsial infection in India and remains an important cause of acute febrile illness with the potential for severe multi-organ involvement if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Data from eastern India remain limited.

OBJECTIVES

To delineate the clinical and laboratory profile of patients diagnosed with scrub typhus admitted to a tertiary care center in eastern India.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna, including adult patients (>15 years) with serologically confirmed scrub typhus admitted between January and December 2023. Demographic details, clinical features, laboratory parameters, and complications were retrieved from medical records. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 69 patients were included; 58.0% were male. Fever was the most common presenting symptom (94.2%), followed by headache (66.7%) and myalgia (53.6%). Eschar was identified in 10.1% of patients. Thrombocytopenia was present in 82.6%, hyperbilirubinemia in 65.2%, and acute kidney injury in 20.3%. Meningoencephalitis occurred in 13.0%, while hypotension/shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were infrequent (4.3 and 1.4%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Scrub typhus commonly presents as acute febrile illness with significant hematological and hepatic involvement. Eschar, though specific, was infrequently observed. High clinical suspicion and early recognition are crucial to prevent complications.