Massive pulmonary haemorrhage due to leptospirosis

A young man with leptospirosis developed massive pulmonary haemorrhage. This was remarkable both in its severity and in its occurrence early in the clinical course - before the onset or presence of jaundice, renal failure or of a serological diagnosis. It occurred in the absence of a coagulopathy or thrombocytopenia and presumably was a consequence of the capillary fragility characteristic of the disease - perhaps precipitated in this instance by mechanical ventilation.