Experience of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in Patients with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome / 대한수혈학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease recently issued in northeast Asia and China. The disease is caused by a new phlebovirus in the family Bunyaviridae, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV); the transmission vector is believed to be a tick. The number of infections and resulting deaths has been increasing, but there is no effective treatment. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory features of SFTSV-positive patients during the period from May 2013 to October 2014 were reviewed retrospectively using medical records. In cases of patients who underwent therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), the performance records were also investigated. RESULTS: During the study period, 14 patients were SFTSV-positive. The patients, who ranged in age from 47 to 82, had mostly outdoor activities before admission. The major symptoms included high fever, myalgia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Laboratory findings showed decreased white blood cell (WBC), neutrophils and platelets and elevated activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), and creatine phosphokinase (CK). Two patients died during the study period, however, nine patients who received TPE showed improvement. CONCLUSION: We suppose that TPE can be used for treatment of serious SFTS and gives the effect of reducing the fatality rate.