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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffLegionnaires' disease can lead to a number of life-threatening complications, including:
- Respiratory failure. This occurs when the lungs are no longer able to provide the body with enough oxygen or can't remove enough carbon dioxide from the blood.
- Septic shock. This occurs when a severe, sudden drop in blood pressure reduces blood flow to vital organs, especially the kidneys and brain. The heart tries to compensate by increasing the volume of blood pumped, but the extra workload eventually weakens the heart and reduces blood flow even further.
- Acute kidney failure. This is the sudden loss of your kidneys' ability to perform their main function — eliminate excess fluid and waste material from your blood. When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of fluid and waste accumulate in your body.
When not treated effectively and promptly, Legionnaires' disease may be fatal, especially if your immune system is weakened by disease or medications.
References
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Patient facts: Learn more about Legionnaires' disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/patient_facts.htm. Accessed Nov. 21, 2008.
- Tossa P, et al. Pontiac fever: An operational definition for epidemiological studies. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:112.
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Treatment and prevention of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Top 10 things every clinician needs to know about legionellosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/top10.htm. Accessed Nov. 21, 2008.
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Neil K, et al. Increasing incidence of legionellosis in the United States, 1990-2005: Changing epidemiologic trends. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2008;47:591.
- Nhu Nguyen TM, et al. A community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires disease linked to industrial cooling towers - How far can contaminated aerosols spread? Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2006;193:102.
- Legionnaires' disease associated with potting soil - California, Oregon, and Washington. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4934a1.htm. Accessed Nov. 4, 2008.
- Legionellosis. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs285/en/index.html. Accessed Nov. 24, 2008.
