Table 5. Radiologic findings, laboratory tests, treatment, and follow-up of hospitalized acute Q fever patients (n = 183).
| Hospitalized acute Q fever patients (n = 183) | Missing data | |
| n (%) | n | |
| Chest x-ray | 4 | |
| No infiltrate | 18 (10.1) | |
| Unilateral infiltrate | 138 (77.1) | |
| Bilateral infiltrate | 16 (8.9) | |
| Pleural effusion | 4 (2.2) | |
| Ambiguous | 3 (1.7) | |
| Laboratory tests at admission | ||
| Elevated CRP (>10 mg/L) | 169 (94.4) | 4 |
| Accelerated ESRa | 163 (89.6) | 1 |
| Leukocytosis (>10.0×109/L) | 60 (32.8) | |
| Leukopenia (<4.0×109/L) | 1 (0.5) | |
| Thrombocytosis (>400×109/L) | 14 (7.7) | |
| Thrombocytopenia (<150×109/L) | 6 (3.3) | |
| Anaemia (<8.5 mmol/L)b | 59 (32.2) | |
| Elevated bilirubin (>17 µmol/L) | 42 (25.6) | 19 |
| Highly elevated bilirubin (>34 µmol/L) | 2 (1.2) | 19 |
| Elevated ALT (>45 U/L)b | 54 (32.3) | 16 |
| Highly elevated ALT (>90 U/L)b | 15 (9.0) | 16 |
| Gamma GT (>55 U/L)b | 74 (44.0) | 15 |
| Hyponatraemia (<135 mmol/L) | 89 (50.9) | 8 |
| Mild hyponatraemia (130–134 mmol/L) | 77 (44.0) | |
| Moderate hyponatraemia (120–129 mmol/L) | 12 (6.9) | |
| Severe hyponatraemia (<120 mmol/L) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Hypokalaemia (<3.5 mmol/L) | 42 (24.1) | 9 |
| Treatment | ||
| Adequate antibiotic treatment startedc | 155 (84.7)c | |
| Immunosuppressive drugs during admission | 21 (11.5) | |
| Follow-up d | ||
| ICU admission | 9 (4.9) | |
| Mortalitye | 11 (6.0)e | |
| Serological profile indicative of chronic Q fever in follow-up (IgG phase I≥1∶1,024) [12] | 17 (9.3) | |
| Proven chronic Q fever | 4 (2.2) | |
| Probable chronic Q fever | 2 (1.1) | |
| Possible chronic Q fever | 11 (6.0) |
ALT: alanine aminotransferase; CRP: C-reactive protein; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; Gamma GT: Gamma glutamyl transferase; ICU: Intensive Care Unit.
Male <50 years of age: >15 mm/h; male≥50 years of age: >20 mm/h; female <50 years of age: >20 mm/h; female≥50 years of age: >30 mm/h.
Values presented are applicable to male patients. Female: anaemia (hemoglobin): <7.5 mmol/L; elevated ALT: >35 U/L; highly elevated ALT: >70 U/L; Gamma GT: >40 U/L.
Defined as doxycycline, 200 mg/day; moxifloxacin, 400 mg/day; ciprofloxacin, 1,000 mg/day per oral dose [22]. Adequate treatment during or after hospitalization (medication used for at least 10 days): 113/155 (72.9%) of patient who started adequate treatment, 15/155 (9.7%) received adequate antibiotics for less than 10 days, in 27/155 (17.4%) duration unknown/not reported in clinical patient files.
Within two years after hospital admission.
All-cause mortality within two years after hospitalization. All patients had underlying disease. Two patients died at the intensive care unit during hospital admission. The eleven deceased patients include one proven and one possible chronic Q fever case. The chronic infection might have contributed to the death in the proven chronic Q fever patient, though also other underlying illnesses were present.