Scrub typhus: An unusual cause of acute abdomen

Background: Scrub typhus is one of the causes of acute abdomen in surgical emergency. Objectives: The objective was to study the clinical profile and outcome among patients of scrub typhus presenting as acute abdomen. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted for 15 months in eight patients who presented as acute abdominal pain with scrub typhus in a tertiary hospital. Clinical analysis, routine investigations, and rapid IgM-based immunochromatographic assay for scrub typhus are performed in every patient. Results: A total of eight females, aged ≥20 years were included in the study. Six of the patients presented with acute abdomen, two of them had features of generalized peritonitis, two had a history of loose stools, another two had a history of constipation, and one of them presented with history of bleeding per rectum. As systemic presentation, all eight patients had fever, six of the patients had nausea and vomiting, four had tachypnea, four had presented in shock, two of the patient presented with an eschar, and four had a history of headache. All patients were treated conservatively. One patient died due to multiorgan dysfunction syndrome and severe thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: Scrub typhus can rarely present as acute abdomen. High index of suspicion is required in cases of acute abdomen not responding to standard treatment.