Uncommon presentation of typhoid fever: A case report

Abstract

A 24-year-old Chinese woman was admitted for cholestatic jaundice following a short history of fever associated with headache and diarrhoea. She had mild hepatomegaly. Initial laboratory investigations were non-contributory. A percutaneous liver biopsy revealed inflammatory changes more in keeping with a systemic infection than a primary hepatitic problem. Repeat blood and stool cultures finally grew Salmonella typhi. Jaundice is a rare manifestation of typhoid fever; it occurs in less than one-third of patients with hepatomegaly. Such a presentation may mimic primary hepatic infections. Awareness of this rare occurrence in typhoid fever would help in early diagnosis and therapy.