Study of an outbreak of acute jaundice syndrome at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh: socio- demographic and clinical manifestations

Abstract Background Acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) is an important concerns due to its rapid outbreak faced an enhanced epidemiological surveillance. The present study was designed to find out the reasons, outbreaks pattern, clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies of AJS among the students of Rajshahi University campus, Bangladesh. Methods The study involved 1151 students showing signs of AJS. Primarily, jaundice syndromes were determined by physiological test having yellow skin and abdominal pain. Laboratory tests were performed to confirm the pathophysiology of jaundice. Blood and urine samples were collected and ALT SGPT, bilirubin levels and different biochemical tests were done by an automated clinical chemistry analyzer. Results From the total number of tested patients, 27.28 % and 72.72% showed jaundice positive and negative. Jaundice positive patients showed the highest average value of ALT (SGPT) with 1312.67 ± 1.32 U/L and the total bilirubin level was found 2.08 ± 0.70 mg/dL for adults. Conclusions The present study showed a vital information about the pattern of AJS outbreaks in the University of Rjshahi. The prompt diagnosis and the implementation of effective control measures of AJS outbreaks are needed for protecting the students' health and the whole community.