Survival analysis, long-term outcomes, and percentage of recovery up to 8 years post-infection among the Houston West Nile virus cohort - PubMed (original) (raw)

Survival analysis, long-term outcomes, and percentage of recovery up to 8 years post-infection among the Houston West Nile virus cohort

Kristy O Murray et al. PLoS One. 2014.

Abstract

In 2012, we witnessed a resurgence of West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States, with the largest outbreak of human cases reported since 2003. WNV is now endemic and will continue to produce epidemics over time, therefore defining the long-term consequences of WNV infection is critical. Over a period of eight years, we prospectively followed a cohort of 157 WNV-infected subjects in the Houston metropolitan area to observe recovery over time and define the long-term clinical outcomes. We used survival analysis techniques to determine percentage of recovery over time and the effects of demographic and co-morbid conditions on recovery. We found that 40% of study participants continued to experience symptoms related to their WNV infection up to 8 years later. Having a clinical presentation of encephalitis and being over age 50 were significantly associated with prolonged or poor recovery over time. Since the health and economic impact as a result of prolonged recovery, continued morbidity, and related disability is likely substantial in those infected with WNV, future research should be aimed at developing effective vaccines to prevent illness and novel therapeutics to minimize morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications from infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Nash D, Mostashari F, Fine A, Miller J, O’Leary D, et al. (2001) The outbreak of West Nile virus infection in the New York City area in 1999. N Engl J Med 344: 1807–1814. - PubMed
    1. Petersen LR, Brault AC, Nasci RS (2013) West Nile virus: review of the literature. JAMA 310: 308–315. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carson PJ, Konewko P, Wold KS, Mariani P, Goli S, et al. (2006) Long-term clinical and neuropsychological outcomes of West Nile virus infection. Clin Infect Dis 43: 723–730. - PubMed
    1. Klee AL, Maidin B, Edwin B, Poshni I, Mostashari F, et al. (2004) Long-term prognosis for clinical West Nile virus infection. Emerg Infect Dis 10: 1405–1411. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gottfried K, Quinn R, Jones T (2005) Clinical description and follow-up investigation of human West Nile virus cases. South Med J 98: 603–606. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources