Rat Bite Fever in an Elderly Patient With Dementia
Rat bite fever (RBF) is a zoonotic infection with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, myalgia, and arthralgia that mimic other systemic infections or noninfectious rheumatologic disorders. Obtaining a history of rat exposure is the key to diagnosis. Since a diagnosis may not be possible without some...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American College of Physicians
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases |
| Online Access: | https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0344 |
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| Summary: | Rat bite fever (RBF) is a zoonotic infection with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, myalgia, and arthralgia that mimic other systemic infections or noninfectious rheumatologic disorders. Obtaining a history of rat exposure is the key to diagnosis. Since a diagnosis may not be possible without some degree of suspicion, routine exposure history-taking is useful. We present the case of a woman with dementia and RBF whose history of a rat bite was obtained incidentally during routine history-taking from her spouse. Routine history about exposures should be taken for the diagnosis of RBF in patients with communication difficulties such as dementia. |
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| ISSN: | 2767-7664 |