title: Health-related quality of life and the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever survivors.
abstract: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially fatal infectious disease, and it is  endemic in Turkey. Patients are placed in isolation when hospitalized, and some may require blood transfusions.  Moreover, some patients may require admission to intensive care units (ICU). CCHF is not a recurrent disease, and  relapses are not expected. Therefore, no medical follow-up is conducted on recovery from CCHF. In this study,  health-related quality of life (HRQL) and the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among CCHF  survivors were evaluated 12 months after recovery from the disease. PTSD diagnosis was established by DSM-IV-TR  criteria and HRQL was investigated by using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36. This study included 54  patients. Our results showed that 48.1% of the patients had PTSD symptoms and 18.5% had PTSD. PTSD incidence was  higher among patients who required an ICU stay, who had bleeding, and who required blood transfusion. In  addition, 4 out of 8 dimensions of HRQL were impaired. However, none of these patients admitted psychiatric  problems to health care professionals. Our findings revealed that periodic psychiatric evaluation should be  performed on CCHF patients, and they should be provided medical support, if required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Sorgun City Hospital, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Esen Uz
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yesilyurt
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Ferit
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kuscu
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ergonul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology