Lassa fever history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]; Ammu Susheela, M.D. [3]

Synonyms and keywords: Lassa hemorrhagic fever; LHF

Overview

Lassa fever after an incubation period of six to twenty-one days, manifest as an acute illness with multiorgan involvement and patients present with gastrointestinal, neurological and pulmonary symptoms.

History and Symptoms

• The following graph demonstrates the common and rare symptoms associated with Lassa fever:

Symptoms Lassa Fever[1]

Common Symptoms

• Because the symptoms of Lassa fever are so varied and nonspecific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult.
• Non-specific symptoms include the following.

• Fever-Almost 100%
• Headache- 85%
• Muscle fatigue- 80%
• Retrosternal pain (pain behind the chest wall)-80%
• Weakness-77%.
• Dizziness-75%
• Sore throat-70%
• Back pain
• Cough-70%
• Vomiting-65%
• Abdominal pain-60%
• Diarrhea-40%
• Mucosal bleeding-40%

Less Common Symptoms

The other symptoms arising from the affected organs are:

Gastrointestinal tract

• Vomiting blood
• Diarrhea (typically bloody)
• Constipation
• Dysphagia
• Jaundice

Cardiovascular system

• Facial or neck swelling
• Hypotension or shock
  • Palpitations
• Respiratory tract
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Sore throat
• Nervous system
  • Tremor.
  • Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss
  • Seizures.

Diagnosis

The current case definition for suspecting Lassa fever is as follows:

Unexplained fever at least 38oC or 100.4oF for one week or more
And 1 of the following:
▸ No response to standard treatment with the choice of regimen for most likely cause of fever (malaria, typhoid fever).
▸ Readmitted within 3 weeks of inpatient care for an illness with fever.
And 1 of the following
▸ Edema or bleeding.
▸ Sore throat and retrosternal pain/vomiting.
▸ Spontaneous abortion following fever.
▸ Hearing loss following fever.

References

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