Clinical course and long-term outcome of hantavirus-associated nephropathia epidemica, Germany

Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Jan;21(1):76-83. doi: 10.3201/eid2101.140861.

Abstract

Human infection with Puumala virus (PUUV), the most common hantavirus in Central Europe, causes nephropathia epidemica (NE), a disease characterized by acute kidney injury and thrombocytopenia. To determine the clinical phenotype of hantavirus-infected patients and their long-term outcome and humoral immunity to PUUV, we conducted a cross-sectional prospective survey of 456 patients in Germany with clinically and serologically confirmed hantavirus-associated NE during 2001-2012. Prominent clinical findings during acute NE were fever and back/limb pain, and 88% of the patients had acute kidney injury. At follow-up (7-35 mo), all patients had detectable hantavirus-specific IgG; 8.5% had persistent IgM; 25% had hematuria; 23% had hypertension (new diagnosis for 67%); and 7% had proteinuria. NE-associated hypertension and proteinuria do not appear to have long-term consequences, but NE-associated hematuria may. All patients in this study had hantavirus-specific IgG up to years after the infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Hematuria / virology
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / immunology*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / urine
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / virology
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies