Abstract |
Doxycycline is the recommended antibiotic for acute Q fever, scrub typhus, and murine typhus and defervescence often occurs within 3 days of treatment. Patients with delayed defervescence (> 3 days) are troublesome for clinicians. To investigate the characteristics of such patients, 18 and 88 cases with and without delayed defervescence, respectively, were studied. By univariate analysis, absence of headache (P = 0.004), jaundice (P = 0.030), icteric sclera (P = 0.030), relative bradycardia (P = 0.003), and pulmonary involvement on chest x-ray (P = 0.028) were significant findings in patients with delayed defervescence. By multivariate analysis, absence of headache (odds ratio [OR] = 8.310; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.990-34.706, P = 0.004), jaundice (OR = 6.242; 95% CI = 1.374-28.365, P = 0.018), and relative bradycardia (OR = 10.449; 95% CI = 2.137-51.088, P = 0.004) were the independent characteristics of patients with delayed defervescence. In treating acute Q fever, scrub typhus, and murine typhus with doxycycline, clinicians should be aware that delayed defervescence may occur in patients presenting with jaundice, relative bradycardia, and absence of headache.
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Authors | Chung-Hsu Lai, Chun-Kai Huang, Hui-Ching Weng, Hsing-Chun Chung, Shiou-Haur Liang, Jiun-Nong Lin, Chih-Wen Lin, Chuan-Yuan Hsu, Hsi-Hsun Lin |
Journal | The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
(Am J Trop Med Hyg)
Vol. 79
Issue 3
Pg. 441-6
(Sep 2008)
ISSN: 1476-1645 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 18784240
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Doxycycline
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Topics |
- Adult
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
(therapeutic use)
- Doxycycline
(therapeutic use)
- Female
- Hepatitis B
(diagnosis)
- Hepatitis C
(diagnosis)
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Q Fever
(drug therapy)
- Scrub Typhus
(drug therapy)
- Taiwan
- Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne
(drug therapy)
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