Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Hefei: clinical features, risk factors, and ribavirin therapeutic efficacy.

OBJECTIVES This study described the clinical features, risk factors, factors affecting the outcome of this disease, and ribavirin therapeutic efficacy for SFTS patients in Hefei. METHODS Between April 2020 and July 2020, 62 cases admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were included in this study. Serum samples were collected from all patients, after which diagnosis was made via RT-PCR and via the use of a colloid gold-immunochromatography assay (GICA) approach. RESULTS In multivariate analysis, being a farmer (OR, 3.033), working in areas with presence of weeds and shrubs (OR, 2.807), and being bitten by tick (OR, 6.64) were determined as risk factors for SFTS. The rates of confusion, neck stiffness, viral encephalopathy and presence of liver damage were higher in the patients who died than in the surviving ones. Additionally, the median of ALT, AST, LHD, CK, APTT, D-dimer (D-D), fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), creatinine and urea were also higher in the patients who died. One of the 15 patients treated with ribavirin in the early stage died (6.7%), while 11 of the 35 patients treated with ribavirin in the late stage died (31.4%); this difference was statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in mortality between the untreated group and the other two groups (ie, patients who started antiviral treatment < 5 days from onset and those who started antiviral treatment ≥ 5 days from onset). Moreover, there was no positive effect determined on clinical or laboratory parameters in SFTS patients treated with ribavirin. Also it was observed that leukocyte levels and platelet levels took longer to return to normal. CONCLUSIONS In Hefei, clinical features, prognostic factors, and risk factors associated with SFTS are similar to those in other areas. Patients who were given ribavirin did not have better survival rates than patients who were not given ribavirin. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.