The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that a 52-year-old local man has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease (aka Legionellosis), becoming this year’s first reported case.
According to the statement, the patient affected by cardiovascular disease and diabetes, suddenly suffered from dizziness and cyanosis* and recurrent fever on Monday, so he sought outpatient treatment at the public Conde de São Januario Hospital Centre. The statement added that his chest CT scan showed pneumonia in the lower part of his left lung, while his urine samples tested positive for Legionella pneumophila urinary antigens.
The patient, who was undergoing inpatient treatment at the public hospital, was in stable condition yesterday, the statement said, adding that he had remained in Macau during the latent period before the onset of the illness.
The statement pointed out that Legionellosis, with an incubation period of between two and 10 days, is an infectious disease caused by Legionella bacteria thriving in warm water between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius and in warm and moist places, such as artificial water systems including massage pools, fountains, and household respiratory medical equipment. The statement underlined that males, senior citizens, smokers, drinkers and those with weakened immune systems, especially those with chronic medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, chronic lung or kidney disease, and patients receiving steroids or other immunosuppressive drugs are at increased risk of catching the disease.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, according to the statement.
* Cyanosis is the change of body tissue colour to a bluish-purple hue, as a result of a decrease in the amount of oxygen bound to the haemoglobin in the red blood cells of the capillary (blood vessel) bed. Source: Wikipedia
Image courtesy of California Department of Public Health
