Predicting tularemia with clinical, laboratory and demographical findings in the ED.
Am J Emerg Med. 2015 Oct 24;
Authors: Yapar D, Erenler AK, Terzi Ö, Akdoğan Ö, Ece Y, Baykam N
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine clinical, laboratory and demographical characteristics of tularemia on admission to Emergency Department (ED).
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical data of 317 patients admitted to ED and subsequently hospitalized with suspected tularemia between January 1, 2011, and May 31, 2015, were collected. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to microagglutination test results, as tularemia (+) and tularemia (-).
RESULTS: Of the 317 patients involved, 49 were found to be tularemia (+) and 268 were tularemia (-). Mean age of the tularemia (+) patients was found to be higher than that of tularemia (-) patients. When compared to tularemia (-) patients, a significant portion of patients in tularemia (+) patients were elderly, living in rural areas and had contact with rodents. When clinical and laboratory findings of the 2 groups were compared, any statistical significance could not be determined.
CONCLUSION: Tularemia is a disease of elderly people living in rural areas. Contact with rodents also increases risk of tularemia in suspected patients.
PMID: 26577431 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]