Ramos J M, Malmierca E, Reyes F, Wolde W, Galata A, Tesfamariam A, Gorgolas M
Unit of Infectious Diseases (Internal Medicine Service), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camíde l'Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain.
Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2004 Mar;98(2):191-6. doi: 10.1179/000349804225003136.
Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) is endemic in Ethiopia. The epidemiological and clinical aspects of LBRF and the differences between the infection in children and that in adults were investigated in a rural hospital in Ethiopia. During the 5-year study (1997-2002), 197 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of LBRF. Most (62.1%) of the cases were children under 15 years of age. The adult cases (i.e. those aged > or =15 years) were far more likely to present with headache (76.9% v. 40%; P <0.001), musculo-skeletal pains (61.5% v. 30.5%; P <0.001), dizziness (64% v. 39%; P =0.002) and bleeding (16.9% v. 3.8%; P =0.005) than the paediatric. The overall level of case fatality was 6.4%. Death appeared to be significantly associated with adulthood (P =0.01), delay in consultation (P =0.026) and the presence of vomiting (P =0.023). LBRF is clearly still a public-health problem in Ethiopia, where the clinical manifestations of the disease differ according to the age of the case.
虱传回归热（LBRF）在埃塞俄比亚呈地方性流行。在埃塞俄比亚的一家乡村医院对LBRF的流行病学和临床特征以及儿童和成人感染情况的差异进行了调查。在为期5年的研究（1997 - 2002年）中，197例患者被确诊为LBRF。大多数病例（62.1%）为15岁以下儿童。成年病例（即年龄≥15岁者）比儿科病例更易出现头痛（76.9%对40%；P<0.001）、肌肉骨骼疼痛（61.5%对30.5%；P<0.001）、头晕（64%对39%；P = 0.002）和出血（16.9%对3.8%；P = 0.005）。总体病死率为6.4%。死亡似乎与成年（P = 0.01）、就诊延迟（P = 0.026）和呕吐（P = 0.023）显著相关。在埃塞俄比亚，LBRF显然仍是一个公共卫生问题，该病的临床表现因病例年龄而异。
