DRG Category: 868

Mean LOS: 5.4 days

Description MEDICAL: Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC

classification section:



Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tick-borne disease that is found in all 48 contiguous United States; approximately 800 cases occur each year. A small, intracellular parasite, Rickettsia rickettsii, is released from the salivary glands of some adult ticks. A concentration of cases occurs in the southwestern, southern, and southeastern United States. The highest incidence of the disease occurs during the months of May, June, and July, the months when North Americans are most likely to be outdoors.

The patient outcome is directly related to accurate, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Without treatment, the disease has a mortality rate of up to 40%. With treatment, the mortality rate declines to less than 10%. After exposure, the incubation period is usually about a week, but in cases of severe infection, it can be as short as 2 days. Complications, although uncommon, include pneumonia, pneumonitis, middle-ear infections, and parotitis. If the infection is left untreated, the associated rash may lead to peeling skin and even gangrene of the elbows, fingers, and toes. Life-threatening complications—such as disseminated intravascular coagulation, shock, and acute renal failure—occur rarely, and mortality is currently 4%.