title: Predictors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the Emergency Department.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute illness affecting multiple organ systems characterized by thrombocytopenia, and/or leukopenia, elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) and it has a case-fatality of 8% to 80%. In this article, we aimed to determine the clinical and laboratory findings that predicts the disease on admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed the medical data of the patients admitted to our emergency department (ED) due to tick bite. These patients were divided into two groups according to their transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results. Findings of PCR (+) (Group 1) and PCR (-) (Group 2) patients were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epistaxis was found to be statistically significant clinical finding in Group 1. Also, while aspartate transaminase (AST) levels and potassium (K) level were significantly higher, platelet count and white blood count (WBC) were significantly lower in Group 1 when compared to Group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Predictors of CCHF in the ED are epistaxis, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and elevated K and AST levels. In our study, the fatality rate of CCHF was found to be 21.6%.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Hitit University Çorum Education and Research Hospital, Çorum, Turkey. abaydin@omu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Erenler
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kulaksiz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ülger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çapraz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomak
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baydin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D064927:Tick Bites / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase