Hantavirus Disease: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate hantavirus infection:

Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

Stage 1

  • High fever > 38.5 °C (3-4 d).
  • Chills
  • Lumbaralgia (back pain)
  • Myalgia (muscle pain)
  • Cephalgia (headache)
  • Visual disturbances, passive
  • Photophobia (photophobia)
  • Conjunctivitis (conjunctivitis)
  • Cough
  • Throat redness
  • Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
  • Severe, often colicky flank pain

Phase 2

  • Hypotension (low blood pressure)
  • Conjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding into the conjunctiva).
  • Skin petechiae (fleabite-like bleeding).

Phase 3

  • Renal insufficiency (renal weakness; hypofunction of the kidneys).
  • Microhematuria* (presence of blood in urine detectable by microscope).
  • Proteinuria* (increased excretion of protein in the urine).
  • Leukocytosis* (increased white blood cell count).
  • Creatinemia* (increased creatine levels in the blood).
  • Thrombocytopenia* (deficiency of platelets in the blood).
  • Uremia (occurrence of urinary substances in the blood above normal values) and oligo- (less than 500 ml of urine in 24 hours)/anuria (less than 100 ml of urine in 24 hours); acute renal failure (ANV).
  • Shock
  • Extrarenal (occurring outside the kidneys) manifestations (e.g., CNS involvement, concomitant hepatitis (concomitant liver inflammation), myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation), thyroiditis (thyroiditis) panhypopituitarism (complete failure of all anterior pituitary hormones), or severe pulmonary symptoms, see below).

* See also laboratory diagnostics.

Other phases

  • Polyuria (abnormally increased urine output).
  • Convalescence

It is believed that a large proportion of infections are asymptomatic.

Course of the disease caused by hantaviruses occurring in America

Symptoms of hanta virus-induced (cardio-) pulmonary syndrome (HCPS; hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, HPS).

Initial

  • Acute onset of high fever
  • Myalgia
  • Nausea (nausea)/vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vertigo (dizziness)
  • Weakness

After a few days

  • Hypoxia (lack of oxygen supply to the tissues).
  • Shock
  • Pulmonary edema with tachypnea
  • Dyspnea with nonproductive cough (dyspnea with (dry) cough without sputum).
  • Interstitial pneumonia (pneumonia) with mononuclear infiltrates.
  • ARDS (Acute respiratory distress syndrome) – acute respiratory failure in the context of multi-organ failure.