An Unusual Case of Persistent Hypoglycemia in Scrub Typhus

Acute fever is a common worldwide issue among patients presenting to the emergency department. Main tropical fevers presenting as acute fever are malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, scrub typhus, and leptospirosis. Scrub typhus is a zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is endemic in many parts of India. Its clinical presentation varies significantly from undifferentiated fever and fever with thrombocytopenia to meningoencephalitis. Persistent hypoglycemia in scrub typhus has not yet been reported. Here we report a case of a 27-year-old male who presented with altered mental status after seven days of scrub typhus diagnosis. Diagnosis of hypoglycemia (random blood sugar of 37 mg/dL) was made at triage. Altered mental status responded to dextrose, but despite meals and treatment, hypoglycemia persisted. The cause for persistent hypoglycemia remained unexplained as most laboratory panels for hypoglycemia were either normal or did not fit into a particular cause.