An 18-year-old man started getting blood-filled eyes after falling into a canal. Newsweek reports that this is due to his contracting a dangerous bacterial infection due to the fall.
Bloody Eyes After Canal Fall
Ars Technica reports that the 18-year-old was brought to the emergency department of a Netherlands hospital after experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, and fever for two days.
He was observed to be experiencing blood hemorrhaging in both of his eyes. Besides this, he also exhibited scleral icterus, which refers to the yellowing of the white areas of the eyes. His heart rate also reached 110 bpm.
An 18-year-old man presented with fever, vomiting, and diarrhea after falling into a canal 3 weeks earlier. The examination was notable for scleral icterus and subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes. https://t.co/fXHUh5bxCL pic.twitter.com/n5LKL87J5m
— NEJM (@NEJM) January 3, 2023
Lab tests later revealed that he had a liver dysfunction and a kidney injury. Ars Technica notes that a crucial clue that helped in understanding what he was going through was how he fell into a canal three weeks before.
This was some textbook case based on a recent New England Journal of Medicine report. The 18-year-old was dealing with a severe case of leptospirosis. Such a condition is a bacterial infection that comes with jaundice, kidney failure, fever, and hemorrhage. The roots of such infection were that the adolescent fell into a canal that may have been filled with the urine of infected rodents.
Leptospirosis
Also referred to as Weil's disease, leptospirosis is generally caused by a bacterium that is spiral shaped, known as Leptospira interrogans. Such bacteria subtly infect various animals and accumulate within the kidneys. While the bacteria could harmlessly infect horses, dogs, cows, pigs, and various other animals, they are extremely dangerous for humans through the common rat, Rattus norvegicus.
Ars Technica notes how the bacteria spread through the urine of infected animals. People may get infected by having direct exposure or contact with contaminated soil or water. The invaders enter the human system through cuts or mucous membranes like the eyes. They dominate the bloodstream and may attack the kidneys and livers when they enter. In severe cases, patients may experience acute respiratory distress, organ failure, or meningitis.
If the condition is left untreated, it may lead to kidney or liver damage. It may also cause hemorrhages across various body parts, including the eyes and lungs. In certain cases, the bacteria could reach brain membranes and cause meningitis.
While the bacterium can be spotted worldwide, it is considered endemic to subtropical and tropical regions.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, there are over 500,000 leptospirosis cases yearly. The CDC also notes that around 10% of total cases are quite severe, and around 5% to 15% of such severe cases are considered fatal. The infection can be treated with antibiotics like penicillin and doxycycline.
According to Shaw and Rijnk, the patient's case exhibited a severe leptospirosis form that appeared as renal failure, jaundice, fever, and hemorrhage. The case was also quite classic, given the eye bleeding and water exposure.
In the young man's specific case, staying in the hospital for a week and being treated with intravenous antibiotics alleviated the condition. At his three-week follow-up, all the symptoms he experienced were reportedly resolved.
Check out more news and information on Leptospirosis in Science Times.
