Abstract

MAGRO MOLINA, A.; PLAZA POQUET, V.  and  GINER GALVAN, V.. Legionnaires' disease with predominant liver's injury. An. Med. Interna (Madrid) [online]. 2002, vol.19, n.4, pp.46-50. ISSN 0212-7199.

Like other pneumonias due to atypical agents, pneumonia due to Legionela Pneumophila has no characteristic clinical facts, although fever and non-productive cough are almost constant and diarrhea with changes in mental status are common. Hyponatremia and moderate transient hypertransaminasemia are common too. Severe systemic affectation after hematogenous dissemination similar to those described with typical bacterial pneumonias is a prominent difference with other atypical agents, with high mortality rates in the absence of appropriate treatment. Etiological diagnosis is very difficult and it is normally achieved late in the course of the infection. Because of diagnostic difficulties and potential mortality in predisposed patients, empirical antibiotherapy has been extensively recommended. We present a patient affected by critical community-acquired pneumonia due to Legionela Pneumophila serogroup 1 with liver alteration as the main manifestation and good response to empirical antibiotherapy with claritromicine and rifampin. We recommended the empirical use of such therapy in those penumonias without microbiological diagnosis and torpid evolution.

Keywords : Atypical Pneumonia; Legionela Pneumophila; Hypertransaminasemia; Clarithormycin; Rifampin.

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