title: Ribavirin is not effective against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: observations from the Turkish experience.
abstract: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral infection associated with a high mortality rate. Ribavirin is the only drug used in the treatment of this disease. Studies investigating the effectiveness of ribavirin in CCHF have been retrospective and to date have included only a small number of cases. In recent years, due to climate changes, the number of cases of CCHF in Turkey has increased, and experience in the treatment of CCHF has improved. Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of ribavirin in Turkey, including one randomized controlled trial and two studies with a large number of cases. In these studies, ribavirin therapy was not shown to decrease mortality rates; the mortality rate was 2-9% in patients treated with ribavirin and 5.6-11% in those who were not treated with this drug. These findings suggest that patients with CCHF should be followed with supportive care only until randomized controlled trials with larger groups have been conducted.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Vatan Cad., Fatih 34093, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bahadır
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ceylan
authors.forename: Aylin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calıca
authors.forename: Oznur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ak
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akkoyunlu
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Turhan
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin
keywords: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever; Ribavirin