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Lemierre's syndrome in adulthood, a case report and systematic review

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

Introduction: Lemierre's syndrome is a septic thromboembolic complication of an oropharyngeal or neck infection, primarily caused by Fusobacterium species. Although it usually affects young healthy patients, some case reports describe this syndrome in older population.Methods: A case report and a systematic review of the literature were conducted to investigate the late onset of Lemierre's syndrome. Forty-one articles were selected for the qualitative analysis, 39 for the quantitative analysis.Results: The average age of the study population was 52 years old. Diabetes mellitus and upper gastro-intestinal malignancy, common comorbidities in the study population, might play a role in the development of late-onset Lemierre's syndrome. Empiric antibiotic treatment should cover Fusobacterium and Streptococcus species both, which may cooperate to induce purulent disease. Reported unfavourable outcome was more than expected.Conclusion: Lemierre's syndrome in adulthood may differ from the usual version. This disease may further pass unrecognized, if presented out of the expected age range. Nevertheless, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are a requisite to prevent morbidity and mortality, which may be higher in this older population.

Journal: Acta Clin Belg
ISSN: 0001-5512
Issue: 4
Volume: 76
Pages: 324-334
Publication year:2020
  • VABB Id: c:vabb:493742
  • WoS Id: 000517882900001
  • Scopus Id: 85080976876
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17843286.2020.1731661
  • ORCID: /0000-0002-1565-7318/work/87949692
  • ORCID: /0000-0001-6478-3743/work/87951134
  • ORCID: /0000-0002-8612-8253/work/90149086
BOF-keylabel:yes
IOF-keylabel:yes
BOF-publication weight:0.1
Authors:Regional
Authors from:Higher Education
Accessibility:Closed