- Main signs and symptoms
- Possible causes
- 1. Arenavirus
- 2. Hantavirus
- 3. Enteroviruses
- 4. Dengue virus and Ebola
- How the treatment is done
Hemorrhagic fever is a serious disease caused by viruses, mainly of the flavivirus genus, which cause hemorrhagic dengue and yellow fever, and of the arenavirus genus, such as the Lassa and Sabin viruses. Despite being normally related to arenavirus and flavivirus, hemorrhagic fever can also be caused by other types of viruses, such as the ebola virus and hantavirus. This disease can be transmitted by contact or inhalation of urine droplets or rat feces or through the bite of a mosquito contaminated with the blood of an animal infected by the virus, depending on the virus related to the disease.
Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever appear on average after 10 to 14 days of the person being infected by the virus and can be fever above 38ºC, pain throughout the body, red spots on the skin and bleeding from the eyes, mouth, nose, urine and vomiting, which can result in severe bleeding if left untreated.
The diagnosis of this disease can be made by a general practitioner through the evaluation of symptoms and the performance of blood tests, such as serology, in which it is possible to identify the causative virus, and the treatment must be done in isolation in a hospital., to prevent hemorrhagic fever from spreading to others.
Main signs and symptoms
Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever appear when the arenavirus virus, for example, reaches the bloodstream and can include:
- High fever, above 38ºC, with sudden appearance; Bruises on the skin; Red spots on the skin; Severe headache; Excessive tiredness and muscle pain; Vomiting or diarrhea with blood; Bleeding from the eyes, mouth, nose, ears, in the urine and in the stool.
The patient with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever should consult a doctor in the emergency room as soon as possible to diagnose the problem and start the appropriate treatment, because after a few days the hemorrhagic fever can affect the functioning of various organs, such as the liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, as well as can cause severe brain changes.
Possible causes
Hemorrhagic fever is caused by the infection of certain types of viruses, which can be:
1. Arenavirus
The arenavirus, belongs to the family Arenaviridae and is the main virus that leads to the appearance of hemorrhagic fever, being the most common types in South America the viruses Junin, Machupo, Chapare, Guanarito and Sabia. This virus is transmitted by contact with the urine or feces of infected mice or through droplets of saliva from an infected person.
The incubation period for arenavirus is 10 to 14 days, that is, this is the period it takes for the virus to start causing symptoms that start quickly and can be malaise, back and eye pain, evolving to fever and bleeds as the days go by.
2. Hantavirus
Hantavirus can cause hemorrhagic fever that worsens and leads to the appearance of pulmonary and cardiovascular syndrome, more common in the American continents. In Asia and Europe these viruses affect the kidneys more, so they cause kidney failure, or kidney failure.
Human hantavirus infection occurs mainly by inhaling virus particles present in the air, urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents and symptoms appear between 9 to 33 days after infection, which may be fever, muscle pain, dizziness, nausea and after the third day coughs up with phlegm and blood which can worsen for respiratory failure if not treated quickly.
3. Enteroviruses
Enteroviruses, caused by the Echovirus, enterovirus, Coxsackie virus, can cause chickenpox and can also develop into hemorrhagic fever, leading to red spots on the skin and bleeding.
In addition, other infectious diseases caused by bacteria and exanthematics, which cause rashes or red spots on the body, can manifest themselves in a severe and hemorrhagic form, leading to other health problems. These diseases can be Brazilian spotted fever, Brazilian purple fever, typhoid fever and meningococcal disease. Learn more about rash and other causes.
4. Dengue virus and Ebola
Dengue is caused by several types of virus in the family Flaviviridae and is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and its most severe form is hemorrhagic dengue, which leads to hemorrhagic fever, more common in people who have had classic dengue or problems health that affect immunity. Learn more about the symptoms of hemorrhagic dengue and how the treatment is done.
The Ebola virus is quite aggressive and can also lead to the appearance of hemorrhagic fever, in addition to causing disorders in the liver and kidneys. In Brazil, there are still no cases of people infected with this virus, being more common in regions of Africa.
How the treatment is done
The treatment for hemorrhagic fever is indicated by a general practitioner or infectious disease, mainly consists of supportive measures, such as increasing hydration and using pain and fever medications, for example, and the use of antiviral ribavirin in cases of hemorrhagic fever due to arenavirus, which should be started as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed through serology.
The person with hemorrhagic fever needs to be admitted to a hospital, in an isolated area, because of the risk of contamination from other people and for medications to be made in the vein, such as pain relievers and other drugs to control possible bleeding.
There are no vaccines available to prevent hemorrhagic fever caused by viruses, however, some measures can be taken to reduce the risk of infection, such as: keeping the environment always clean, using detergents and disinfectants based on 1% sodium hypochlorite and glutaraldehyde 2%, in addition to care to prevent mosquito bites, such as Aedes aegypti. Learn how to identify the Dengue mosquito.
