Korean J Dermatol.  2015 Dec;53(10):788-791.

Tsutsugamushi Disease and Acute Bilateral Hearing Loss

• Nam CH
• Choi M
• Kim JS
• Kim JY
• Hong SP
• Park BC
• Kim MH

Abstract

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. The main symptoms of scrub typhus are fever, eschar, generalized rash, and swelling of the lymph nodes. Complications include pneumonia, myocarditis, meningitis, hepatitis, acute renal failure, and hearing loss. We report a rare case of Tsutsugamushi disease with acute bilateral hearing loss in a 65-year-old woman. The antibodies against O. tsutsugamushi were detected which led to the diagnosis of scrub typhus. She was treated immediately with oral doxycycline for 9 days and had a rapid and complete recovery. Scrub typhus can be associated with hearing loss, which is present in approximately one-third of the cases, but it is rare in Korea, therefore it is easy to misdiagnose scrub typhus as any other otological abnormalities. When patients present with fever, rash, and sensorineural hearing loss, clinicians should suspect scrub typhus and consider empirical antibiotic therapy.

Keyword

Scrub typhus; Sensorineural hearing loss; Tsutsugamushi disease

MeSH Terms

Acute Kidney Injury
Aged
Antibodies
Diagnosis
Doxycycline
Exanthema
Female
Fever
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Bilateral*
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
Hepatitis
Humans
Korea
Lymph Nodes
Meningitis
Myocarditis
Orientia tsutsugamushi
Pneumonia
Scrub Typhus*
Antibodies
Doxycycline