High Survival Rates and Associated Factors Among Ebola Virus Disease Patients Hospitalized at Donka National Hospital, Conakry, Guinea

Background: Anecdotal reports suggesting that survival rates among hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in Guinea are higher than the 29.2 percentage rate observed in the current epidemic in West Africa. Methods: Survival after symptom onset was determined using Kaplan Meier survival methods among patients with confirmed Ebola virus disease treated in Conakry, Guinea from March 25 to August 5, 2014. We analyzed the relationship between survival and patient factors including demographics and clinical features. Results: Of the 70 patients analyzed (mean age ±standard deviation, 34.0 ± 14.1; 44 were men), 42 were discharged alive with a survival rate among hospitalized patients of 60 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 41.5 to 78.5 percent). The survival rate was 28 (71.8 percent) among 39 patients under 34 years of age, and 14 (46.7 percent) among 30 patients aged 35 years or greater (p=0·034). The rates of myalgia (3 of 42 versus 7 of 28, p=0.036) and hiccups (1 of 42 versus 5 of 28, p=0.023) were significantly lower among patients who survived. Conclusions: Our results provide insights into a cohort of hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in whom survival is prominently higher than seen in other cohorts of hospitalized patients.