Community Acquired Severe Acute Kidney Injury Caused by Hantavirus-Induced Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Has a Favorable Outcome

Abstract

Background: Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) induces an acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and acute kidney injury (AKI). Our aim was to evaluate the prognosis of severe AKI associated with PUUV infection. Methods: We examined 556 patients who were treated at Tampere University Hospital during 1982-2013 for acute, serologically confirmed PUUV infection. Plasma creatinine was measured during hospitalization, convalescence, and 1, 2, and 5 years after the acute infection. Results: Plasma creatinine concentration was elevated (>100 μmol/l) in 459 (83%) patients, while altogether 189 patients (34%) had severe AKI defined as Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 3, that is, plasma creatinine ≥353.6 μmol/l (4.0 mg/dl) or need of dialysis. There were no fatal cases during the hospitalization or the following 3 months. Fatality rate during the years following PUUV infection did not differ between patients who had suffered from severe AKI versus those without severe AKI. Post-hospitalization plasma creatinine values were available for 188 (34%) patients. One month after the acute infection, patients with prior severe AKI had higher median plasma creatinine concentration (82 µmol/l, range 54-184) than patients without severe AKI (74 µmol/l, range 55-109, p = 0.005). After 1 year, no significant difference existed in median plasma creatinine concentrations between patients with (71 µmol/l, range 36-123) and without prior severe AKI (72 µmol/l, range 34-116, p = 0.711). After 5 years all but 1 patient had normal creatinine levels. Conclusions: In contrast to the worldwide well-accepted KDIGO criteria, severe AKI associated with PUUV infection is not associated with excess fatality but has a very good prognosis, both in the short and long terms.