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Renal Sequelae of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS)
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Interest in hantavirus infection was abruptly stimulated by a 1993 outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the Four Corners area of the United States, with case fatality rates as high as 50 percent. A newly discovered hantavirus, ultimately named Sin Nombre, was determined to be the cause of the outbreak. This marked the first occurrence of severe, acute disease in the United States causally linked to a hantavirus. The Four Corners outbreak brought with it concerns about the presence of newly identified infectious disease agents in the United States, as well as concerns regarding the possible long-term sequelae of a disease of this severity.
During the Korean War (1951-1953), American troops were exposed to another hantavirus: Hantaan. The Hantaan virus disease, initially called Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF), is probably contracted through inhalation of the infected urine, saliva, or feces of the striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius. Although the disease has been known for decades, no data are available on its long-term sequelae among American survivors.
A study published in 1960, in which the medical records of 1,416 KHF cases and 831 comparison individuals (all white) were reviewed, found a small but significant increase in renal injury and genitourinary disease three to five years after the acute phase of KHF. The Medical Follow-up Agency is currently involved in a follow-up study to determine longer-term outcomes in the original cohort, including the frequency of end-stage renal disease.
The MFUA, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is conducting a study of the long-term health effects of KHF in military personnel. The purpose of this study is to compare morbidity and mortality data from 1,416 white and 187 nonwhite surviving KHF cases with 831 white and 99 nonwhite comparison individuals. The study is scheduled for completion in the year 2000.
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Last Updated: 7/02/2003, 09:30 AM
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