Rhabdomyolysis in Ebola Virus Disease. Results of an Observational Study in a Treatment Center in Guinea

Abstract

Rhabdomyolysis is a frequent disorder in EVD and seems to be more common than in other viral infections. It may contribute to the renal failure observed in nonsurviving patients. More studies are needed to determine the impact of rhabdomyolysis on EVD outcome.

Clinical, virological, and biological parameters associated with outcomes of Ebola virus infection in Macenta, Guinea

“…Changes in renal function were also observed in some patients, particularly during severe disease, as illustrated by the high levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen and their highly significant correlation. However, unlike other studies (4,5,8), we found that there was no significant correlation between high creatinine levels and a fatal outcome. Nevertheless, we found that the levels of both products increased during the course of the disease in fatal cases, suggesting that renal failure is a common feature of the terminal stages of EVD.…”

“…Levels of AST, and, to a lesser extent, ALT, appeared to be the most powerful markers of severity during EVD in our cohort. A similar observation was previously reported for EBOV and SUDV (3)(4)(5)8). Striking differences were observed in the patterns of change in biological analyte levels associated with tissue damage during disease.…”

“…Data for Sudan virus-infected (SUDV-infected) patients demonstrated liver and tissue injury, together with renal failure and possible acute pancreatitis (3). More recent reports of biological follow-up for isolated patients or cohorts have confirmed these results and suggested that rhabdomyolysis is a common features in EVD (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). We report here the clinical, virological, and biological parameters recorded for a cohort of EBOV-infected patients hospitalized in the Macenta and Nzerekore ETCs between December 2014 and January 2015 who did not receive any experimental EBOV-specific therapy.…”

Characteristics and Outcomes of Pediatric Patients With Ebola Virus Disease Admitted to Treatment Units in Liberia and Sierra Leone: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…The abnormal electrolyte levels may result from profuse diarrhea, prerenal kidney dysfunction from dehydration, or direct acute kidney injury (AKI) from EVD. Beyond the direct effects of the virus on the kidney, EVD has been associated with rhabdomyolysis, which can cause AKI and subsequent electrolyte abnormalities [20]. …”

Preparation of an intensive care unit in France for the reception of a confirmed case of Ebola virus infection

“…Because of the severity of EVD, a fair amount of patients may require intensive care. As recently shown in two reports, renal failure and rhabdomyolysis were frequent in severe EVD cases [4,5]. Common ICU therapy, including fluid therapy and dialysis, would help decrease mortality rates [6,7].…”