title: Characteristics and Factors Associated with Death among Patients Hospitalized for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, South Korea, 2013.
abstract: In South Korea, nationwide surveillance for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) began during 2013. Among 301 surveillance cases, 35 hospitalized case-patients in 25 areas were confirmed by using virologic testing, and 16 (46%) case-patients subsequently died. The SFTS cases occurred during May-November and peaked during June (9 cases, 26%). The incidence of SFTS was higher in the southern regions of South Korea. Age and neurologic symptoms, including decreased level of consciousness and slurred speech, were heavily associated with death; neurologic symptoms during the first week after disease onset were also associated with death. Although melena was common among patients who died, no other hemorrhagic manifestations were substantively more common among those who died. No effective treatments, including ribavirin, were identified. Expansion of SFTS surveillance to include the outpatient sector and development of an antibody test would enhance completeness of SFTS detection in South Korea.
authors.forename: Jaeseung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Donghyok
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Seung-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.forename: Ji-Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010217:Phlebotomus Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases; D013987:Ticks
keywords: Bunyaviridae; Haemaphysalis longicornis; RNA virus; Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome; South Korea; bunyavirus; cerebral hemorrhage; continuous renal replacement therapy; fungal pneumonia; intravenous immunoglobulin; phlebovirus; plasmapheresis; ribavirin; tickborne infections; vector-borne infections; viruses