Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and prevention of infection

The general term “hemorrhagic fever” refers to a group of infectious diseases that interfere with normal blood clotting. These diseases also damage the walls of blood vessels, causing internal bleeding that can be relatively minor or deadly.

Medical science knows a variety of hemorrhagic fevers. Symptoms and treatment, however, have many common features and are aimed primarily at combating the virus that causes the disease. Among the most common viral infections of this type are:

• dengue;
• Ebola;
• Lassa;
• Marburg;
• yellow (amaryllium) fever.

These infections are typical in tropical regions. When it comes to cases of the disease in Europe, Asia or the United States, it usually turns out that patients have recently returned from a long trip or have been in contact with people who have been in the tropics.

Hemorrhagic fever, the symptoms of which often terrify Europeans, can also be transmitted through contact with infected animals and even insects. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, and vaccines only prevent a few types of infection.

Symptoms

Although individual types of tropical fevers are characterized by specific symptoms, in general the signs of the disease can be combined in one list. It includes:

• increased body temperature;
• feeling tired;
• dizziness;
• pain in muscles, bones or joints;
• feeling of weakness.

Danger signs

It is very important to correctly diagnose hemorrhagic fever as soon as possible. Symptoms in children and adults can become potentially life-threatening.

Thus, bleeding is recognized as one of the most common signs of a tropical infection, and although people rarely die from blood loss, hemorrhage into internal organs can lead to serious health problems. There are frequent cases of bleeding from the mouth, ears, and eyes.

Typical manifestations of the disease are subcutaneous hemorrhages caused by weakening of the capillary walls.

Additionally, the severity of the following symptoms should not be underestimated:

• shock;
• dysfunction of the nervous system;
• coma;
• delirium;
• renal failure;
• liver failure.

When to see a doctor?

The best time to consult a specialist is immediately before traveling to a developing country. The doctor will prescribe the administration of available vaccines and give specific recommendations for maintaining health in unusual climatic conditions.

If, upon returning home, it seems to you that you have hemorrhagic fever (symptoms completely or partially coincide with those indicated in the list above), consult a specialist, preferably an infectious disease specialist, as soon as possible. Provided correct and timely diagnosis, treatment of the disease will take less energy and nerves. Be sure to tell your doctor which regions and countries you have visited.

The viruses that initiate the development of dengue fever live as parasites on a variety of animals and insects. The most common carriers of the disease are mosquitoes, ticks, rodents and bats.

Each of these carriers usually lives in a specific geographic area, so fevers of individual species are characteristic of the typical habitats of these animals or insects. In addition, some infections can also be transmitted from person to person.

Spreading

Not long ago, the whole world was talking about the danger of universal infection with the Ebola virus. How can you tell if you are at risk of hemorrhagic fever? Symptoms (how the disease is transmitted is written just above) can be detected after potentially dangerous circumstances.

Thus, some viruses are spread through the bites of mosquitoes or ticks. Others affect the body after contact with the blood or semen of the patient. Some species are transmitted through airborne droplets by inhaling fumes from rat feces or urine.

If you travel to an area where a particular dengue is common, there is a risk that you will become infected and only notice the telltale signs of infection when you return home. Symptoms develop approximately 21 days after the virus enters a healthy body.

Risk factors

Even simply living in an area where tropical fevers are common increases the risk of infection. In addition, the risk of infection is closely related to the following circumstances:

• working with patients;
• destruction of infected animals;
• reusable use of the same needles when administering drugs intravenously;
• unprotected sex;
• working outdoors or in buildings infested with rats.

Complications

Any hemorrhagic fever poses a serious danger to the human body. The symptoms (photos of patients are sometimes shocking) are quite serious in the absence of adequate treatment. The following organs are damaged:

• brain;
• eyes;
• heart;
• kidneys;
• liver;
• lungs;
• spleen.

In some cases, the infection causes such damage that the disease leads to death.

Diagnostics

In the first days after infection with a tropical virus, it is rare that a doctor can confidently diagnose hemorrhagic fever: symptoms (rash, high fever, headache, severe fatigue) are characteristic of many other diseases.

During the diagnostic process, you will most likely be asked about details of your medical history, as well as travel details. It is important to determine whether you may have been exposed to mosquitoes or rats. During your consultation, describe your travels in detail, including countries visited and specific dates. Consider how real the likelihood of infection from animals or insects is.

Laboratory tests (blood tests) are necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Since tropical fevers are highly contagious, such tests are carried out in specially equipped laboratories with the highest level of safety.

Treatment

Whether it is an infection without complications or, for example, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, the symptoms of a viral infection are almost impossible to relieve.

Sometimes, however, doctors prescribe a drug called Ribavirin (also known under the commercial names Rebetol and Virazol), which in some cases helps shorten the duration of the disease, and in others helps prevent complications.

It is important to avoid dehydration. Fluids are necessary to maintain electrolytic balance (the balance of minerals, without which normal functioning of nerves and muscles is impossible).

Some patients are prescribed kidney dialysis, an artificial method of clearing waste from the blood if kidney failure develops.

Prevention

When analyzing a disease such as hemorrhagic fever (symptoms, cause, treatment are discussed above), it is imperative to pay attention to preventive measures. It is easier to prevent an infection than to cure it. In reality, unfortunately, the risk of infection remains very high, primarily for the indigenous population of developing countries.

In addition, the spread of the disease is accelerated by many different social, economic and environmental factors. There are military actions, forced relocation, destruction of populated areas, unsanitary conditions, and the lack of necessary medicines and medical equipment.

All these factors are acute problems of the modern world that have no simple solutions.

If you live in an area where there is a high risk of infection or are forced to travel for business or travel to a country where there are frequent cases of dengue, take all possible measures to protect your health from potential harm.

Vaccinations

The vaccine against yellow (amaryllium) fever is considered relatively safe and quite effective. Severe side effects are reported in extremely rare cases.

Make sure you have complete information about the foreign country: some countries require the provision of official certificates confirming vaccination against tropical diseases. It should be borne in mind that the yellow fever vaccine has a number of contraindications.

Any hemorrhagic fever, the symptoms of which differ significantly from the signs of amaryllus infection, requires the development of a specific vaccine. Specialists from international organizations are already working on new vaccine formulations.

Mosquitoes and ticks

Do everything you can to avoid being bitten by insects such as ticks and mosquitoes, especially if you are in an area where dengue fever occurs. Wear light-colored clothing, preferably long trousers and long-sleeved shirts.

If possible, treat the fabric with Permethrin (remember to avoid contact of this insecticidal substance with unprotected skin). Try to stay indoors during peak mosquito activity (dusk and dawn), and be sure to apply any high-power repellent to your skin and clothing.

If you are temporarily staying at a campground or local hotel, use insecticide-treated bed nets and mosquito coils. Maximum protection will save you from the scourge of hemorrhagic fever.

Symptoms of infection are difficult to bear at any age, and it is much easier to prevent infection than to deal with its manifestations and complications.

Source: https://www.syl.ru/article/207906/new_gemorragicheskaya-lihoradka-simptomyi-prichinyi-lechenie-kak-peredaetsya-gemorragicheskaya-lihoradka

Hemorrhagic fevers

Hemorrhagic fevers are viral infections with natural focal spread, occurring with hemorrhagic and acute febrile syndrome. Symptoms of hemorrhagic fevers include severe intoxication, high body temperature, hemorrhagic rash, bleeding of various locations, and multiple organ disorders. The form of hemorrhagic fever is determined taking into account clinical, epidemiological and laboratory data (PCR, ELISA, RIF). For hemorrhagic fevers, detoxification, antiviral, hemostatic therapy, the introduction of specific immunoglobulins, and the fight against complications are carried out.

Hemorrhagic fevers are a group of infectious diseases of a viral nature that cause toxic damage to the vascular walls, contributing to the development of hemorrhagic syndrome. They occur against the background of general intoxication and provoke multiple organ pathologies.

Hemorrhagic fevers are common in certain regions of the planet, in the habitats of disease carriers. Hemorrhagic fevers are caused by viruses of the following families: Togaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Arenaviridae and Filoviridae.

A characteristic feature that unites these viruses is their affinity for human vascular endothelial cells.

The reservoir and source of these viruses is humans and animals (various types of rodents, monkeys, squirrels, bats, etc.), and the carrier is mosquitoes and ticks. Some hemorrhagic fevers can be transmitted through household contact, food, water and other routes.

According to the method of infection, these infections are divided into groups: tick-borne infections (Omsk, Crimean-Congo and Kyasanur Forest fever), mosquito infections (yellow fever, dengue fever, Chukungunya, Rift Valley) and contagious (Laotian, Argentine, Bolivian, Ebola, Marburg fevers, etc. .

).

The susceptibility to hemorrhagic fevers in humans is quite high; people whose professional activities are connected with wildlife mainly become ill. The incidence in cities is more often observed among citizens who do not have a permanent place of residence and employees of household services who come into contact with rodents.

Hemorrhagic fevers

Hemorrhagic fevers in most cases have a characteristic course with a successive change of periods: incubation (usually 1-3 weeks), initial (2-7 days), peak (1-2 weeks) and convalescence (several weeks).

The initial period is manifested by general intoxication symptoms, usually very intense. In severe cases, fever can reach critical levels, and intoxication can contribute to a disorder of consciousness, delirium, and hallucinations.

Against the background of general intoxication, toxic hemorrhage (capillary toxicosis) is noted already in the initial period: the face and neck, conjunctiva of patients are usually hyperemic, the sclera is injected, elements of a hemorrhagic rash can be detected on the mucous membrane of the soft palate, endothelial symptoms (“tourniquet” and “pinch”) are positive . Toxic disturbances of the heart rhythm (tachycardia turning into bradycardia), and a decrease in blood pressure are noted. During this period, a general blood test shows leukopenia (lasts 3-4 days) and increasing thrombocytopenia. The blood count shows neutrophilia with a shift to the left.

Before the onset of the peak period, there is often a short-term normalization of temperature and an improvement in general condition, after which toxicosis increases, the intensity of the general clinic increases, multiple organ pathologies and hemodynamic disorders develop. During the period of convalescence, there is a gradual regression of clinical manifestations and restoration of the functional state of organs and systems.

Hemorrhagic Far Eastern nephrosonephritis is often called hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, since this disease is characterized by predominant damage to the vessels of the kidneys.

Incubation of hemorrhagic Far Eastern nephrosonephritis is 2 weeks, but can be shortened to 11 and extended to 23 days. During the first days of illness, prodromal phenomena (weakness, malaise) are possible.

Sometimes meningeal symptoms (Kernig, Brudzinski, stiff neck) may be observed. Due to toxic damage to the brain, consciousness is often confused, hallucinations and delusions appear.

General hemorrhagic syndrome is accompanied by symptoms from the kidneys: lower back pain, positive Pasternatsky's sign, a general urine test reveals red blood cells, casts, and protein. As the disease progresses, renal syndrome worsens, as does hemorrhagic syndrome.

At the height of the disease, bleeding from the nose, gums, and hemorrhagic rash on the body (mainly in the shoulder girdle and lateral surfaces of the chest) are noted. When examining the mucous membrane of the mouth and oropharynx, pinpoint hemorrhages are revealed on the palate and lower lip, and oliguria develops (in severe cases, up to complete anuria).

Gross hematuria is noted (urine takes on the color of “meat slop”).

The fever usually lasts 8-9 days, after which a decrease in body temperature occurs within 2-3 days, however, after its normalization, the patient’s condition does not improve, vomiting may occur, and renal syndrome progresses. Improvement in the condition and regression of clinical symptoms occurs 4-5 days after the fever subsides. The disease enters the convalescence phase. At this time, polyuria is characteristic.

Crimean hemorrhagic fever is characterized by an acute onset: vomiting, abdominal pain on an empty stomach, and chills. Body temperature rises sharply. The appearance of patients is characteristic of hemorrhagic fevers: a hyperemic, swollen face and injected conjunctiva, eyelids, and sclera.

Hemorrhagic symptoms are pronounced: petechial rashes, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, blood in stool and vomit, uterine bleeding in women. The spleen most often remains of normal size, but in some patients it may be enlarged. Severe disease is manifested by intense abdominal pain, frequent vomiting, and melena.

The pulse is labile, blood pressure is reduced, heart sounds are muffled.

Omsk hemorrhagic fever is more mild and benign, the hemorrhagic syndrome is less pronounced (although mortality also occurs with this infection). In the first days, the fever reaches a little over 39 degrees; in half of the cases, the febrile period proceeds in waves, with periods of increase and normalization of body temperature. The duration of fever is 3-10 days.

Hemorrhagic fevers can contribute to the development of severe, life-threatening conditions: infectious-toxic shock, acute renal failure, coma.

Diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers is made on the basis of the clinical picture and epidemiological history data, confirming the preliminary diagnosis in the laboratory. Specific diagnostics are carried out using serological tests (RSC, RNIF, etc.), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), detection of viral antigens (PCR), and virological method.

Hemorrhagic fevers are usually characterized by thrombocytopenia in a general blood test and the detection of red blood cells in urine and feces. With severe hemorrhage, symptoms of anemia appear. A positive stool occult blood test indicates bleeding along the gastrointestinal tract.

Fever with renal syndrome also manifests itself in laboratory diagnostics in the form of leukopenia, aneosinophilia, and an increase in the number of band neutrophils.

Pathological changes in the general analysis of urine are significant - the specific gravity is reduced, protein is noted (often the increase reaches 20-40%), cylinders. There is increased residual nitrogen in the blood.

Crimean fever is characterized by lymphocytosis against the background of general normocytosis, a shift of the leukocyte formula to the left and a normal ESR.

Patients with any hemorrhagic fever are subject to hospitalization. Bed rest, a semi-liquid high-calorie, easily digestible diet, maximally rich in vitamins (especially C and B) - vegetable decoctions, fruit and berry juices, rosehip infusion, fruit drinks) are prescribed. In addition, vitamin therapy is prescribed: vitamins C, P. Vicasol (vitamin K) is taken daily for four days.

The prognosis depends on the severity of the disease. Hemorrhagic fevers can vary in course over a very wide range, in some cases causing the development of terminal conditions and ending in death, but in most cases, with timely medical care, the prognosis is favorable - the infection ends in recovery.

Prevention of hemorrhagic fevers primarily involves measures aimed at eliminating infection carriers and preventing bites.

In areas where the infection is spreading, areas prepared for settlement are thoroughly cleaned of blood-sucking insects (mosquitoes, ticks); in epidemic-prone regions, it is recommended to wear thick clothing, boots, gloves, special anti-mosquito overalls and masks, and use repellents in forested areas. For Omsk hemorrhagic fever, there is a specific prevention method, routine vaccination of the population using a killed virus vaccine.

Source: https://www.KrasotaiMedicina.ru/diseases/infectious/hemorrhagic-fever

Hemorrhagic fever

Hemorrhagic fever is a group of viral diseases that cause toxic damage to the walls of blood vessels and the development of hemorrhagic syndrome with damage to various organs and systems.

• Hemorrhagic fevers are common in various parts of the planet, where the habitats of their carriers are located.
• The causative agents of the disease are adenoviruses, arboviruses, and rhabdoviruses.
• Treatment is only in a hospital setting.

Causes of hemorrhagic fever

1. This disease is caused by viruses: Bunyaviridae, Togaviridae, Filoviridae, Arenaviridae.
2. The peculiarity of these viruses is that they are similar to human vascular endothelial cells.

3. There are three groups of hemorrhagic fevers:

• tick-borne diseases - Omsk, Crimean fever and Kayasanur forest disease;
• contagious zoonotic – Argentine, Bolivian, fever with renal syndrome, Marburg fever, Lassa fever, Ebola fever;
• mosquitoes - chikungunya fever, yellow fever, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever.

Humans are quite susceptible to this type of fever; people whose activities involve interacting with wild nature most often become ill with it. In cities, citizens without permanent residence and workers of services involved in the extermination of rodents often fall ill.

Foci of fevers can be:

• primary (natural);
• secondary (anthropurgic).

In natural foci, the carriers of viruses are wild animals (marsupials, rodents, birds, primates) and humans; if the carrier is a person, then the infection takes on the features of an anthroponotic one (Lassa fever, an urban form of yellow fever).

Children and people visiting the site of infection for the first time suffer the disease more often and more severely.

The mortality rate for hemorrhagic fever ranges from 1 to 70%. In local residents of endemic areas, most often, the disease occurs in an erased form.

• Human infection with arboviral fevers in anthropological and natural foci occurs through the bite of blood-sucking arthropods (mosquitoes, ticks, midges).
• Fevers that are caused by rhabdoviruses and arenoviruses are spread mainly through household contact, air, and food.
• The route of transmission of the virus from animals to humans has not been established, but it is possible in natural foci in animals.
• Hemorrhagic fevers are more common in tropical and subtropical countries, where they become epidemics.
• Recently, due to the rapid growth of intercontinental connections, doctors are especially attracted to the hemorrhagic fevers of Marburg, Lassa, and Ebola, which are often fatal and can be spread by air, household contact, and parenteral routes.
• Most types of hemorrhagic fevers have a characteristic course.
• The incubation period lasts 1-3 weeks; the initial period of the disease is 2-7 days, the height of the disease is 1-2 weeks; the period of convalescence is up to several weeks.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever in the initial period are manifested by intense general intoxication. In severe cases of the disease, the temperature rises to critical values, and disturbances of consciousness, hallucinations, and delusions may appear.

In patients, toxic hemorrhage appears already at the beginning of the disease: the sclera is injected, the conjunctiva, neck and face are hyperemic, and a hemorrhagic rash may be observed on the mucous membrane of the soft palate. Heart rhythm is disturbed, blood pressure decreases. A general blood test of the patient is characterized by leukopenia and increasing thrombocytopenia.

Before the peak of the disease, a short-term normalization of temperature may occur with an improvement in general condition. Then the symptoms of toxicosis increase, various internal organs are affected, and hemodynamics are disrupted.

The period of convalescence is characterized by a gradual regression of the symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and restoration of the functioning of internal systems and organs.

Fever with renal syndrome is characterized by damage to the blood vessels of the kidneys. The incubation period for this disease is about two weeks. In the first days of the disease, malaise and weakness may appear.

Next, severe intoxication develops with an increase in temperature to 39.5º, which persists for 2-6 days. After 2-4 days, the manifestation of hemorrhagic symptoms is observed. The patient often experiences: confusion, delusions, hallucinations.

To all this is added renal symptoms in the form of: lower back pain, a positive Pasternatsky symptom, the presence of casts, red blood cells, and protein in a general urine test. As the disease progresses, the renal syndrome worsens.

Improvement occurs 4-5 days after the temperature drops.

Crimean fever has an acute onset with vomiting, abdominal pain and chills. Then there are nosebleeds, bleeding gums, petechial rashes, blood in the vomit and feces,

Omsk fever occurs more easily and the hemorrhagic syndrome is less pronounced. Fever lasts 3-10 days.

Treatment of hemorrhagic fever

If there are symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, patients are hospitalized in a hospital. They are prescribed bed rest, a special diet with semi-liquid, easily digestible high-calorie foods rich in vitamins (mainly B and C), fruit and berry juices, vegetable decoctions, fruit drinks and rosehip infusion. Patients are also prescribed vitamin therapy (vitamins K, C, P).

For this disease, a glucose solution is prescribed intravenously. During the febrile period, the patient is given blood transfusions, iron, campolone and antianemin are administered. Complex therapy of the disease involves the use of antihistamines.

The patient is discharged from the hospital after complete recovery.

Measures to prevent hemorrhagic fever come down to the destruction of virus carriers and the prevention of bites.

In the area of ​​infection, places that are being prepared for settlement are thoroughly cleaned of mosquitoes and ticks; in areas dangerous for the spread of infection in forested areas, it is recommended to wear thick clothing, gloves, boots, special masks and mosquito coveralls, and the use of repellents.

For Crimean, yellow, Omsk, Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, prevention can be carried out in the form of vaccination of the population.

Hemorrhagic fever is a dangerous infection that can be fatal. The prognosis for the patient is determined by the severity of its course. But in most cases, if the patient receives medical care in a timely manner, this disease ends with the patient’s recovery.

Source: https://zdorovi.net/bolezni/gemorragicheskaja-lihoradka.html

Hemorrhagic fever

Causes of hemorrhagic fevers

The disease is caused by the following viruses: Filoviridae, Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Togaviridae. All these viruses have one thing in common - their affinity for human vascular endothelial cells. The carriers of these viruses are ticks and mosquitoes. Some types of hemorrhagic fever are transmitted through food, household contact and water.

Humans have a fairly high susceptibility to hemorrhagic fevers. Persons whose professional activities involve constant contact with wildlife are especially susceptible to the disease.

Mechanism of damage in hemorrhagic fevers

• damage to blood vessels by the virus or its metabolic product;
• inflammation and violation of the integrity of the walls of blood vessels, the release of biologically active substances into the lumen;
• development of disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome due to bleeding deficiency (simultaneous blood clotting in some vessels and low coagulability in others).

All these symptoms of hemorrhagic fevers cause a lack of oxygen in the tissues (hypoxia), disruption of the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs and significant blood loss.

The severity of the disease depends on its type, as well as on the characteristics of the human body and the degree of activity of its immunity. Mostly hemorrhagic fevers end in complete recovery, but deaths also occur.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever

In most cases, all types of hemorrhagic fevers have a similar course. The incubation period is 1-3 weeks, followed by an initial period (2-7 days), a peak period (up to 2 weeks) and a convalescence period (up to several weeks).

At the initial stage of the disease, intoxication of the body and fever are observed, which is accompanied by hallucinations, delirium and loss of consciousness.

Against the background of general intoxication, a characteristic symptom of hemorrhagic fever is toxic hemorrhage. There are disturbances in heart rhythm and a decrease in blood pressure.

A general blood test indicates leukopenia and increasing thrombocytopenia.

Hemorrhagic fever contributes to the development of severe complications, often life-threatening to the patient: coma, acute renal failure, infectious-toxic shock.

Diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers

The basis for the diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers is the data of epidemiological analysis and the clinical picture. Specific diagnostics are carried out using the following methods:

• enzyme immunoassay (ELISA);
• serological studies (RNIF, RSK);
• virological method;
• detection of viral antigens (PCR).

The main symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome are aneosinophilia, leukopenia, and increased levels of band neutrophils. Protein and casts are noted in the urine, and residual nitrogen is observed in the blood.

Treatment of hemorrhagic fever

For any type of hemorrhagic fever, the patient must be urgently hospitalized. When treating fever, the patient is prescribed strict bed rest.

You should eat easily digestible semi-liquid and high-calorie dishes, maximally saturated with vitamins: fruit and berry juices, vegetable decoctions, fruit drinks, rosehip infusions. Vitamin therapy must be prescribed.

You must take Vikasol (vitamin K) for four days.

In addition, a glucose solution is prescribed intravenously, and small amounts of blood transfusion may be performed during fever.

If necessary, prescribe iron, campolon and antianamine supplements. Complex treatment also includes antihistamines.

The patient is discharged from the hospital only after complete recovery, after which he is observed on an outpatient basis for some time.

Prevention of hemorrhagic fever

First of all, to prevent hemorrhagic fevers, it is necessary to take measures aimed at destroying infection carriers and preventing bites. To do this, in areas of natural distribution, areas prepared for settlement are thoroughly cleaned of ticks and mosquitoes.

In places where the epidemic is particularly widespread, it is recommended to wear thick clothing, gloves, boots, as well as special antimicrobial masks and overalls. In forested areas it is recommended to use repellents.

• Vaccinations are carried out against some types of hemorrhagic fevers.
• Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Source: https://www.neboleem.net/gemorragicheskaja-lihoradka.php

Hemorrhagic fever

With hemorrhagic fevers, intoxication of the entire body occurs, and acute, nonspecific pathologies occur.

Causes of hemorrhagic fevers

The causative agent of hemorrhagic fever is similar to human vascular endothelial cells. The most common viruses that cause human infection are Togaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae, Arenaviridae.

The carriers of the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever are usually mosquitoes and ticks. But certain types of hemorrhagic fever can be transmitted through household contact, food or water. The human body is highly susceptible to such infections. People who have systematic contact with undeveloped nature are at greatest risk of contracting hemorrhagic fever.

Mechanism of vascular damage

The causative agent of hemorrhagic fever and the products of its metabolic processes cause serious harm to the body.

Inflammatory processes occur in the walls of blood vessels, and their integrity is disrupted, while biologically active substances are released into the lumen.

DIC syndrome develops - a blood clotting disorder due to the release of a large amount of thromboplastic substances from the tissues. In this case, low coagulability occurs in some vessels and increased in others.

The severity of the disease and the possibility of recovery depend on the type of pathogen, immune activity and individual characteristics of the human body.

Most hemorrhagic fevers result in complete recovery, but deaths are not uncommon, especially with fevers caused by special types of pathogens, for example, Marburg fever, Crimean-Congo fever, Ebola, etc.

Hemorrhagic fever: symptoms

Most types of hemorrhagic fevers are similar in their course. Typically the incubation period lasts approximately 1-3 weeks. Then comes the initial period (doctors call it prodromal), which lasts from 2 to 7 days. The peak period lasts about 2 weeks, and the recovery period lasts several weeks.

• In the initial period, the patient experiences severe intoxication of the body, accompanied by delirium, hallucinations, and loss of consciousness.
• A characteristic symptom of hemorrhagic fever against the background of intoxication is toxic hemorrhage - hemorrhage from blood vessels into surrounding tissues or body cavities.
• Blood pressure decreases and heart rhythm disturbances appear.
• A blood test reveals the development of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia in the patient.

Before the peak period, a short-term improvement in the patient’s condition occurs. But when the period of the height of the disease begins, the patient’s hemodynamics sharply worsen, toxic symptoms and multiorgan phenomena increase.

During the recovery period, symptoms gradually decrease and the activity of the whole body is restored.

Diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever

To make a diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever, information obtained as a result of epidemiological analysis and the clinical picture of development is used.

In the specific diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever, the following methods are used - serological studies, enzyme immunoassay, detection of viral antigens, virological method.

In addition, the diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever is based on its characteristics - the presence of thrombocytopenia, i.e. difficult to stop bleeding, anemia and the presence of red blood cells in the urine and feces.

In hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, leukopenia, aneosinophilia, an increased number of band neutrophils are observed, casts and protein are present in the urine, and residual protein is present in the blood.

Special forms of hemorrhagic fever

There are types of hemorrhagic fever that have serious consequences, even death. These include: Lassa fever, Crimea-Congo, Marburg, and finally, Ebola fever, which is rampant today in Africa. Let's talk about each of these types in a little more detail.

Lassa hemorrhagic fever

This fever belongs to acute infectious diseases from the group of hemorrhagic fevers of viral origin. Lassa hemorrhagic fever is severe and has a high mortality rate. It is characterized by damage to the kidneys, respiratory organs, and central nervous system. The disease is also usually accompanied by myocarditis and hemorrhagic syndrome.

The causative agent of Lassa hemorrhagic fever belongs to viruses of the Arenaviridae family. This is the most stable and dangerous virus for humans. In nature, it develops well in the kidneys of green monkeys, and the reservoir of infection is Mastomys natelensis rats.

You can become infected by using contaminated water and food, contacting contaminated objects, or breathing dust containing viruses. In addition, Lassa fever can be transmitted from person to person by direct contact, airborne droplets and sexual contact.

At the final stage, convulsions, tremors, disorientation, shock and coma may appear.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

The disease is transmitted through ticks after their bites, or during injections or blood sampling. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is expressed by fever, accompanied by increasing intoxication and hemorrhages on internal organs and skin.

The natural reservoir of the pathogen from the Bunyaviridae family, the genus Nairovirus, is small and large livestock, rodents, wild mammals, birds, as well as ticks themselves, which carry the virus for life.

In most cases, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever affects the population in the age group from 20 to 60 years.

The first signs may appear on the first day of infection. The development of the disease occurs acutely with an increase in temperature up to 40 degrees, with headache, chills, flushing of the face and mucous membranes.

Characteristic signs of general intoxication are observed. Hemorrhages appear on the skin and mucous membranes in the form of hematomas, rashes, spots, bleeding gums and bite or injection sites, uterine and nosebleeds.

All this is accompanied by pain in the abdomen, liver, vomiting, the appearance of jaundice, and oliguria.

Complications of Crimea-Congo fever can include pulmonary edema, sepsis, thrombophlebitis, otitis media, focal pneumonia, and acute renal failure. The number of deaths ranges from 2 to 50%.

Marburg hemorrhagic fever

Marburg disease or “green monkey disease”, and in medicine Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease of zoonotic origin, i.e. transmitted by animals. Fever is characterized by severe course, bleeding, damage to the central nervous system, liver and gastrointestinal tract.

The causative agent of Marburg hemorrhagic fever belongs to the family Filoviridae, genus Marburgvirus and infection occurs through contact with African green monkeys.

The disease is fatal in most cases. The mortality rate ranges from 50 to 90%.

The risk of infection through contact with a sick person is very high.

At the beginning of the disease, headaches appear, stabbing pain in the chest, cough, pain and dryness in the throat, redness of the edge and tip of the tongue, vesicles, after opening, erosions appear on it, increased muscle tone.

Then there is a rash in the form of a rash on the skin, itching, hemorrhages in the skin, oral mucosa, and conjunctiva. This is followed by gastrointestinal, nasal and uterine bleeding, dehydration and infectious-toxic shock.

Most often, patients die.

Treatment of hemorrhagic fever

Any type of hemorrhagic fever requires urgent hospitalization. Drugs to stop bleeding, glucose, and blood transfusions are prescribed. Iron-containing medications, antianemin, campolon, and antihistamines are used.

Hemorrhagic fever: a reminder on prevention

To avoid infection with hemorrhagic fever, it is necessary to destroy pathogen carriers and take measures to prevent their bites.

The hemorrhagic fever leaflet calls for wearing boots, gloves, and thick clothing in epidemic areas. In addition, it is necessary to use antimicrobial overalls and masks. It is advisable to use repellents in forested areas. Currently, vaccinations are carried out against some types of fever. But, unfortunately, not everyone.

The hemorrhagic fever leaflet includes a warning that there is still no vaccine against hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Marburg and Crimean-Congo.. 

Source: http://promedicinu.ru/diseases/giemorraghichieskaia-likhoradka

Hemorrhagic fever

Symptoms common to all types of fevers are:

• high body temperature (above 38.5 °C);
• nausea, vomiting;
• stomach ache;
• headache;
• pain in joints and muscles;
• the appearance of purple-blue spots on the skin;
• nosebleeds, increased bleeding of gums, hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes;
• hemorrhages in the whites of the eyes;
• rapid pulse;
• pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium (due to liver damage);
• swelling (which indicates damage to the liver and kidneys);
• heart rhythm disturbances (fast or slow pulse);
• Blood may appear in the stool and urine.

On the part of the nervous system the following develop:

• paralysis of limbs;
• convulsions;
• hearing loss;
• disturbance of consciousness (development of hallucinations, delusions).

Hemorrhagic syndrome is accompanied by the following phenomena:

• nosebleeds;
• petechial rash (in the form of pinpoint hemorrhages in the skin);
• hemorrhages in the sclera (whites of the eyes);
• in case of pulmonary bleeding, coughing with blood impurities is possible;
• with gastrointestinal bleeding, blood is present in the stool (or vomit).

From 2 to 21 days (on average, about a week).

• The disease, depending on the type of fever (type of pathogen), can be transmitted in various ways:
  • in most cases, the transmission route is transmissible (through insect bites). The causative agent of yellow fever and Dengue fever are transmitted through mosquito bites; Crimean-Congo fever is transmitted through tick bites;
  • The contact route of transmission (direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected people through microtraumas and lesions on the skin) is characteristic of the Ebola virus.
• In the case of murine fever (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome) and Lassa fever (another type of hemorrhagic fever caused by a virus of the Arenaviridae family, which, compared to other types, is characterized by a more severe course and a high percentage of deaths), the main source of infection is small rodents (mice , voles), which excrete the pathogen in feces. Infection with this type of hemorrhagic fever is possible in the following ways:
  • when inhaling airborne viruses from dried rodent feces;
  • in contact with rodents or objects infected with rodents (hay, straw) through damaged areas of the skin;
  • when eating contaminated foods that have not undergone heat treatment.

Hemorrhagic fever is suspected if the following factors are present:

• increased body temperature of unknown origin;
• stay in an epidemiological zone for the last 3 weeks;
• the presence of typical symptoms (for example, increased bleeding, hemorrhages in the mucous membranes, skin);
• reliable contact with a patient with hemorrhagic fever or animals that carry the disease.

Laboratory diagnostics:

• polymerase chain reaction: detection of the genetic material of the pathogen in blood samples;
• enzyme immunoassay is a method for determining antibodies in a patient’s blood to a particular pathogen;
• data from a general blood test are also taken into account: a reduced platelet count is detected;
• a general urine test reveals red blood cells and protein;
• biochemical and general blood test (determining parameters of liver and kidney dysfunction);
• a positive result of a stool occult blood test, which indicates bleeding in one of the gastrointestinal tracts.

It is also possible to consult an epidemiologist or therapist. 

Patients with hemorrhagic fever are subject to mandatory hospitalization. Therapy is limited to symptomatic treatment:

• bed rest;
• taking semi-liquid, easily digestible food;
• vitamin therapy (especially taking vitamins C and group B);
• taking a large volume of liquid (in the form of water, fruit drinks, vegetable decoctions);
• in case of severe intoxication (weakness, dizziness, body temperature), vomiting and diarrhea, a solution of glucose and saline solutions is prescribed intravenously;
• it is possible to prescribe a transfusion of blood components (plasma, albumin, etc.);
• In case of severe kidney damage, hemodialysis procedures (“artificial kidney”) are performed.

• The development of infectious-toxic shock (a serious condition caused by the effects of toxins produced by the pathogen on the body, which can result in the development of coma).
• Damage to the brain (in the form of inflammation of the meninges (meningitis), brain matter (encephalitis)).
• Development of renal failure.
• Development of liver failure.
• Development of cardiovascular failure.
• Myocarditis (inflammatory damage to the heart muscle).
• When a secondary bacterial infection is added, it is possible to develop severe inflammation of the lungs, purulent inflammation of the abdominal cavity (peritonitis), sepsis (a systemic inflammatory process when infectious agents (bacteria, single-celled viruses or their toxins) enter the blood, which is accompanied by the formation of secondary infectious foci in the internal organs , and as a result, disruption of their normal operation).
• Risk of death.

Prevention comes down to measures aimed at eliminating infection carriers and preventing bites:

• disinsection (extermination of insects) of aircraft and watercraft leaving an endemic zone (a country with a widespread prevalence of a particular fever among the local population) to other regions (to prevent the spread of the virus);
• using repellents (means that protect against insect bites), wearing protective clothing;
• installation of protective nets in homes;
• extermination of rodents in areas of disease;
• use of respirators when working in dusty areas (barns for hay, straw);
• storing grain and other products in warehouses protected from rodents;
• immunization of persons entering an endemic zone (an area characterized by a particular type of fever). For example, yellow fever vaccination is indicated when traveling to countries such as Mauritania, Bolivia, Mali, Congo, etc.

There are a number of contraindications for vaccination:

• children under 6 months of age and persons over 60 years of age. The vaccine is a weakened virus; due to the immaturity of the child’s immune system and reduced protective properties, the disease may develop in an elderly person. In such categories of people, the disease is more severe, in children - with the development of severe encephalitis (brain damage), which can lead to death;
• persons with severe immunodeficiency (HIV-infected, cancer patients).

• The condition may occur due to disturbances in the walls of blood vessels, changes in the functions of normal blood clotting.
• The causative agents of the disease are viruses of four families:
  • arenaviruses (eg Lassa fever);
  • filoviruses (Ebola fever and Marburg fever);
  • Flaviruses (yellow fever, dengue fever); bunyaviruses (Crimea-Congo fever, mouse fever).
• Infection with hemorrhagic fevers occurs primarily through the bite of insects (mosquitoes and ticks). Some types of hemorrhagic fevers are transmitted from person to person (Ebola fever, Marburg fever, Crimean-Congo fever) or carried by small rodents (mouse fever, Lassa fever).
• The virus, penetrating the human body, infects the cells of the vascular endothelium (the membrane lining the vessel from the inside).
• Vascular damage is accompanied by microcirculatory disorders, as a result, bleeding develops in the skin, mucous membranes and vital organs.
• Multiple organ failure (failure of various organs) and infectious-toxic shock (a serious condition caused by the effects of toxins produced by the pathogen on the human body) are formed.
• Diseases in this group are particularly dangerous and are characterized by a high risk of death (the highest percentage of deaths is characteristic of Marrgbur fever and fever caused by the Ebola virus).

Source: https://lookmedbook.ru/disease/gemorragicheskaya-lihoradka