| Author/Editor | | Lotrič-Furlan, Stanka; Rojko, Tereza; Jelovšek, Mateja; Petrovec, Miroslav; Avšič-Županc, Tatjana; Lusa, Lara; Strle, Franc |
| Abstract | | To assess the value of clinical definitions for human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings in 50 adult patients with proven HGA (Anaplasma phagocytophilum isolated from blood, and/or positive PCR result, and/or seroconversion or %4-fold change in serum IFA antibody titres to A. phagocytophilum) and 46 patients with probable HGA (demonstration of serum antibodies to A. phagocytophilum in titres >-1:256) were compared. Patients with proven HGA were older (55 versus 43.5 years; p = 0.001), were more often treated with doxycycline (31/50, 62% versus 11/46, 23.9%; p < 0.001), more frequently reported chills (40/50, 80% versus 17/46, 36.9%; p < 0.001), myalgia (37/50, 74% versus 21/46, 45.7%; p = 0.005) and cough (10/50, 20% versus 2/46, 4.4%; p = 0.02), and had more often abnormal laboratory findings such as thrombocytopenia (45/50, 90% versus 22/46, 47.8%; p < 0.001), abnormal liver function test results (45/50, 87% versus 22/46, 47.8%; p < 0.001), leukopenia (38/50, 76% versus 21/46, 45.7%; p = 0.002) and elevated serum CRP concentration (48/50, 96% versus 31/46, 67.4%; p < 0.001). The dissimilarities imply that in some patients fulfilling criteria for probable HGA the signs and symptoms most likely are not the result of a recent infection with A. phagocytophilum and indicate that clinical definitions used in the present study have a distinctive value.
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