A Case of Duodenal Ulcer Perforation Combined with Scrub Typhus

Abstract

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that results from the destruction of endothelial cells by Orientia tsutsugamushi and subsequent systemic vasculitis. It manifests as fever, headache, myalgia, eschar formation, and lymphadenopathy. Some authors have reported that such vasculitis involves the gastrointestinal tract and that hyperemia, erosion, ulceration, and active bleeding of the gastric mucosa subsequently develop. However, no case of ulcer perforation in a patient with scrub typhus has been reported to date. Here, we report the case of a perforated duodenal ulcer in a 70-year-old female patient with scrub typhus. (Korean J Med 2012;82:449-452)