Abstract

A small percentage of persons with leptospirosis, a reemerging zoonosis, experience severe complications that require hospitalization. The number of leptospirosis cases in the United States is unknown. Thus, to estimate the hospitalization rate for this disease, we analyzed US hospital discharge records for 1998-2009 for the total US population by using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. During that time, the average annual rate of leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations was 0.6 hospitalizations/1,000,000 population. Leptospirosis-associated hospitalization rates were higher for persons >20 years of age and for male patients. For leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations, the average age of patients at admission was lower, the average length of stay for patients was longer, and hospital charges were higher than those for nonleptospirosis infectious disease-associated hospitalizations. Educating clinicians on the signs and symptoms of leptospirosis may result in earlier diagnosis and treatment and, thereby, reduced disease severity and hospitalization costs.

Highlights

  • All other clinicians completing this activity will be issued a certificate of participation

  • During 1998–2009 in the United States, the average annual rate of leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations was 0.6 hospitalizations/1,000,000 population (Table 1); the annual rate did not change over the period (Figure 1)

  • Reports of reemergence and increased incidence of leptospirosis in US states and globally [1,5,11,12], expanded number of risk groups [7,8], and a higher than expected death rate among reported case-patients in Puerto Rico [13] are raising concern that human leptospirosis infections may be on the rise in the United States

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Summary

Introduction

All other clinicians completing this activity will be issued a certificate of participation. To participate in this journal CME activity: [1] review the learning objectives and author disclosures; [2] study the education content; [3] take the post-test with a 75% minimum passing score and complete the evaluation at http://www.medscape.org/journal/eid; [4] view/print certificate. Evaluate the epidemiology of leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations in the United States 3. Distinguish the time of year when leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations are most common 4. Compare the clinical impact of leptospirosis-associated hospitalizations vs non-leptospirosis infectious disease hospitalizations. CME Editor Claudia Chesley, Technical Writer/Editor, Emerging Infectious Diseases. Disclosure: Claudia Chesley has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

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