The Protean Manifestations of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome

Abstract

Twenty-six cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome from 1981 to 1986 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the scope of clinical presentation and the unique complications of the illness. The diagnosis was confirmed by detection of Hantaan virus antibody in 25 cases and by characteristic autopsy findings in 1 case. The illness could be classified into three distinct clinical subgroups. Fever was universally present. Two patients presented with intractable shock and diffuse hemorrhage and died within 6 days from multi-organ system failure, mimicking the clinical picture of overwhelming sepsis. Eighteen patients presented with acute renal failure with an illness lasting a mean of 21 days (range, 10 to 36 days). Resolution of thrombocytopenia heralded recovery of renal function. At discharge, the serum creatinine level was normal in 13 patients; 5 patients had evidence of minimal renal dysfunction. Acute pulmonary edema requiring hemodialysis and retroperitoneal hemorrhage were the major complications in this subgroup. Six patients had an undifferentiated febrile illness with normal renal function. Fever, thrombocytopenia, abnormal urinalysis, hypertransaminasemia, and a benign clinical course characterized the third clinical pattern. The recent availability of serodiagnostic methods to detect Hantavirus group antibody facilitates the diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Application of this test in the described clinical settings will identify unsuspected cases, broaden the knowledge of the geographic distribution of Hantavirus infection, and increase physician awareness of its protean manifestations.