Korean hemorrhagic fever(KHF) is an acute, fulminating, occasionally fatal, otherwise
self-limited disease characterized by fever, proteinuria, hemorrhagic manifestations, shock
and real failure. Recent investigations demonstrated the identity of the similar conditions
described from Korea, the Soviet Union, Japan and China under various synonyms and
toponyms. Nephropathis epidemica of Scandinavia was also revealed to have a close
serological relation to this disease. The etiologic agent was identified in 1978 by Lee,
and the KHF or Hantaan virus has been propagated in cell culture and displayed
electronmicroscopically.
The clinical course of KHF may be divided into five phases, each designated for a
characteristic physiologic aberration; febrile, hypotensive, oliguric, diuretic and
convalescent. Current data lead to the conclusion that dissminated intravascular
coagulation certainly occurs during the initial days and is one of the major causes of
bleeding diathesis observed in this disease. The mortality rate indicated by early studies
was about 10 to 15%, but earlier evacuation of the patients and improved management
reduced it to about 5%. The principal causes of death in fatal cases are cerebrovascular
accident, pulmonary edma and/or hemorrhage, primary shock and secondary shock due
to gastrointestinal bleeding, etc.
In this paper a comprehensive review is presented over the history, etiology,
epidemiology, pathology, clinical features, and laboratory findings of KHF accompanied
by careful considerations on the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
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