Q fever history and symptoms
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Overview
History and symptoms
- Q fever can present with a wide variety of symptoms related to multiple organs involved. Q fever can be classified into acute and chronic based on the onset of symptoms.[1][2]
- Incubation period is usually 2 to 3 weeks.
Acute Q fever:
Flu like symptoms:
The most common manifestation is flu-like symptoms with abrupt onset of:
- High grade fever: Fever is usually accompanied by chills and sweats[3]
- Headaches: retrobulbar and associated with photophobia
- Arthralgias
Pneumonia:
Usually mild and accidentally discovered on X rays
- If accompanied by a cough, cough is dry and nonproductive.[4]
- Dyspnea
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Rarely progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which can be life threatening.
Hepatitis:
- Abdominal right upper quadrant pain
- Jaundice
- GI symptoms as nausea, malaise, vomiting, diarrhea and bloating.
Rare acute Q fever symptoms:
Pericarditis and myocarditis:
- Myocarditis is rare but carries a bad prognosis
- Chest pain
- Dyspnea
- Palpitation
Neurologic findings:
- Q fever can present with meningoencephalitis
- Headache
- Confusion
- Seizures
Dermatologic findings:
- Maculopapular rash
- Diffuse punctate rash
- Erythema nodosum
Q fever during pregnancy:
- Most C. brutenii infection during pregnancy pass asymptomatic but in rare cases it can be complicated with:
- Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)
- Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD)
Infection during first trimester and placental infection are associated with increased risk of fetal compromise.
Chronic Q fever:
Chronic Q fever, characterized by infection that persists for more than 6 months is uncommon but is a much more serious disease. Patients who have had acute Q fever may develop the chronic form as soon as 1 year or as long as 20 years after initial infection.
Endocarditis:
Endocarditis is the main manifestation of Q fever.
- Characterized by being culture negative endocarditis
- Patients who are predisposed to endocarditis include patients with valvular lesions, prosthetic valves and immunocompromised patients
- Presents with:
Skeletal manifestations:
- Bone and joint infections are common manifestations of chronic Q fever.
- Presents with:
- Low grade fever
- Bone and joint pain as in chronic osteomyelitis
Vascular lesions:
- Usually in previously affected vessel (e.g. aneurysm)
Cardiopulmonary affection:
- Chronic pleural or pericardial effusion and Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis present with dyspnea and fatigue.
Hepatic manifestations:
- Liver fibrosis or cirrhosis presents with symptoms of chronic hepatic decompensation (e.g jaundice, abdominal pain, fatigue, etc)
Chronic fatigue syndrome:
- Presents in up to 10% of chronic Q fever patients.
References
- ↑ Ishikawa H, Maeda H, Takamatsu H, Saito Y (1979). "Systemic hyalinosis (juvenile hyaline fibromatosis). Ultrastructure of the hyaline with particular reference to the cross-banded structure". Arch. Dermatol. Res. 265 (2): 195–206. PMID 88923.
- ↑ Choyce DP (1992). "Anterior chamber lens exchange". J Cataract Refract Surg. 18 (5): 537. PMID 1489455.
- ↑ Hartzell JD, Wood-Morris RN, Martinez LJ, Trotta RF (2008). "Q fever: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment". Mayo Clin. Proc. 83 (5): 574–9. doi:10.4065/83.5.574. PMID 18452690.
- ↑ Sobradillo V, Ansola P, Baranda F, Corral C (1989). "Q fever pneumonia: a review of 164 community-acquired cases in the Basque country". Eur. Respir. J. 2 (3): 263–6. PMID 2731605.