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Acute fulminant myocarditis in scrub typhus

Rekwan Sittiwangkul1, Yupada Pongprot, Suchaya Silviliarat

  • 1Cardiology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. rsittiwa@mail.med.cmu.ac.th

Annals of Tropical Paediatrics
|May 31, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Scrub typhus, a zoonotic disease, can cause acute fulminant myocarditis in children. This rare complication of Orientia tsutsugamushi infection led to severe cardiogenic shock and fatalities in two reported cases.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cardiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Scrub typhus is a zoonotic febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, prevalent in rural Asia and the Western Pacific.
  • Severe complications of scrub typhus are uncommon.
  • Myocarditis is a rare but serious potential complication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the occurrence of acute fulminant myocarditis in children diagnosed with scrub typhus.
  • To highlight a severe and potentially fatal complication of scrub typhus in a pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Case series reporting four pediatric patients with scrub typhus.
  • Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and outcomes of affected children were documented.

Main Results:

  • Four children presented with scrub typhus and subsequently developed acute fulminant myocarditis.
  • Two of the four children experienced severe cardiogenic shock.
  • Two children succumbed to the severe cardiac complications.

Conclusions:

  • Acute fulminant myocarditis is a critical and potentially lethal complication of scrub typhus in children.
  • This case series represents the first report of fulminant myocarditis complicating scrub typhus in pediatric patients.

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