Clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia in patients with scrub typhus complicated by acute kidney injury

Background This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia (HA) in patients with scrub typhus complicated by acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods From 2009 to 2018, 611 patients were diagnosed with scrub typhus. We divided the patients into two groups [normoalbuminemia (NA) vs. HA] based on the serum albumin level of 3.0 g/dL and compared the incidence, clinical characteristics, and severity of AKI based on the RIFLE classification between the two groups. Results Of the total 611 patients, 78 (12.8%) were categorized into the HA group. Compared to patients in the NA group, patients in the HA group were older (73 ± 9 vs. 62 ± 14 years, P Conclusion Serum albumin level is helpful to predict the development and severity of scrub typhus-associated AKI.