title: Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Durba and Watsa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: clinical documentation, features of illness, and treatment.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to describe day of onset and duration of symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF), to summarize the treatments applied, and to assess the quality of clinical documentation. Surveillance and clinical records of 77 patients with MHF cases were reviewed. Initial symptoms included fever, headache, general pain, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia (median day of onset, day 1-2), followed by hemorrhagic manifestations (day 5-8+), and terminal symptoms included confusion, agitation, coma, anuria, and shock. Treatment in isolation wards was acceptable, but the quality of clinical documentation was unsatisfactory. Improved clinical documentation is necessary for a basic evaluation of supportive treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, B-2000, Belgium. bcoleb@itg.be
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colebunders
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tshomba
authors.forename: Maria D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Van Kerkhove
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bausch
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Modeste
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Libande
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirard
authors.forename: Florimond
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tshioko
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mardel
authors.forename: Sabue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mulangu
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sleurs
authors.forename: Pierre E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rollin
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Muyembe-Tamfum
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeffs
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borchert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D004282:Documentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D029024:Marburgvirus; D008499:Medical Records; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate