Korean J Blood Transfus.  2014 Dec;25(3):211-217. 10.0000/kjbt.2014.25.3.211.

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

• Kim SH
• Kim KP
• Heo ST
• Kim YR
• Kang SH

• KMID: 2090030
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/kjbt.2014.25.3.211

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.

Keyword

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS); Plasma exchange; Bunyaviridae; Tick

MeSH Terms

Asia
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bunyaviridae
China
Communicable Diseases, Emerging
Creatine Kinase
Fever*
Humans
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase
Leukocytes
Medical Records
Myalgia
Neutrophils
Partial Thromboplastin Time
Phlebovirus
Plasma Exchange*
Retrospective Studies
Thrombocytopenia*
Ticks
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Creatine Kinase
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase