Imported Case of Lassa Fever in Sweden With Encephalopathy and Sensorineural Hearing Deficit (original) (raw)
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Sensorineural hearing loss in Lassa fever: two case reports
2016
Introduction: Lassa fever is an acute arena viral haemorrhagic fever with varied neurological sequelae. Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the rare complications which occur usually during the convalescent stage of the infection. Case presentation: The cases of two female patients aged 19 and 43 years old, respectively, with clinical features suggestive of Lassa fever and confirmed by immunoserological/Lassa-virus-specific
Early-onset sensorineural hearing loss in Lassa fever
European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology, 2011
Lassa fever (LF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease which affects one-fourth to two million people annually with the fatality rate of about 10,000. It is associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) usually at the convalescent stage. Recently, cases of SNHL at the acute phase have been reported. This study was done to further investigate the incidence and features of SNHL in acute phase of LF. It is a prospective case–control study of LF patients seen with acute SNHL conducted between July 2007 and April 2009 at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Nigeria. The diagnosis of acute LF was based on the clinical features and detection of IgM antibodies and/or positive Lassa virus-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using primers S36+ and LVS 339 while SNHL was diagnosed clinically and confirmed with PTA and speech discrimination tests. Patients with other acute febrile illnesses were used as control. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 11 and Fisher’s exact test while level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Out of the 37 confirmed cases of LF, 5 (13.5%) and none (0%) of the control developed early-onset SNHL (p = 0.03). Forty percent of the cases studied had negative IgM. The audiograms showed involvement at all frequency groups with pure tone average 65–85 dB and the speech discrimination 20–40%. The overall case fatality rate was 27.0%, and for early SNHL cases 60.0% (p > 0.05). The incidence of SNHL in LF infection is about 13.5% and could be a reflection of a worse disease process. There is possibility of direct viral invasion aside immunological reaction as a causative mechanism.
Journal of clinical microbiology, 2000
The Lassa virus (an arenavirus) is found in West Africa, where it sometimes causes a severe hemorrhagic illness called Lassa fever. Laboratory diagnosis has traditionally been by the indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) test. However, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for Lassa virus antigen and immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG) antibodies have been developed that are thought to be more sensitive and specific. We compared ELISA and IFA testing on sera from 305 suspected cases of Lassa fever by using virus isolation with a positive reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) test as the "gold standard." Virus isolation and RT-PCR were positive on 50 (16%) of the 305 suspected cases. Taken together, Lassa virus antigen and IgM ELISAs were 88% (95% confidence interval [CI], 77 to 95%) sensitive and 90% (95% CI, 88 to 91%) specific for acute infection. Due to the stringent gold standard used, these likely represent underestimates. Diagnosis could often be made on a single ser...
Mortality Among Lassa Fever Patients: A Systematic Review
American Journal of Internal Medicine, 2021
Background: Lassa fever is a disease of public health importance because of its morbidity and associated mortality and also because of its potential for residual morbidity such as hearing loss and social stigma. Knowledge of the mortality among Lassa fever patients is one way of assessing the effectiveness of the current strategies employed in Lassa fever management. This article is aimed at reviewing mortalities among Lassa fever patients. Methods: The relevant articles for the review were searched and obtained through the PubMed database. Data of interest were confirmed cases of Lassa fever, number of deaths and case fatality rates. Findings: All the studies reviewed were carried out in the Lassa fever endemic zone of West Africa. The case fatality rates in Lassa fever ranged from 24% to 61%, with a mean of 36%. More cases of Lassa fever and more deaths occurred during Lassa fever outbreaks. Patient’s age, co-existing medical conditions as well as complications arising from Lassa ...
Pharma Springs Publication, 2023
Lassa fever (LF) is indeed a significant public health concern, particularly in parts of Africa. This viral infection, caused by the Lassa virus (LASV), is known for its high prevalence and fatality rates in certain regions, including North Africa. Research indicates that the estimated case fatality rate of Lassa fever in North Africa ranges from 16.5% to as high as 50% in some areas. For example, in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, the case fatality rate was reported to be 57%. Across Western Africa, up to 300,000 new infections and 5,000 deaths are estimated to occur annually, with fatality rates reaching up to 25.4% in recent Nigerian outbreaks. The high fatality rates, especially among hospitalized patients, highlight the severity of this disease. For instance, in Nigeria, the overall mortality rate has been reported to be around 19%, with higher rates among health workers.