A team of scientists at led by Pardis Sabeti at the Broad Institute has published a study that presents detailed clinical and laboratory data for Nigerian patients with Lassa fever. The authors did a multi-year large-scale retrospective, observational cohort study of consecutive patients in Nigeria with Lassa fever, who tested positive for LASV with RT-PCR, and were treated in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital. They performed univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, including logistic regression, of all demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables available at presentation to identify the factors associated with patient mortality. The study provides strong evidence for intrinsic renal dysfunction in acute Lassa fever. Early recognition and treatment of acute kidney injury might significantly reduce mortality.
The study, Clinical and laboratory predictors of Lassa fever outcome in a dedicated treatment facility in Nigeria: a retrospective, observational cohort study, was published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases on March 6, 2018.