A Clinical Study of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Caused by Seoul Virus Infection

The clinical findings of 29 patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Seoul virus were evaluated and compared with the previously reported clinical findings of classic Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF). The diagnoses of these patients were made by hemagglutination inhibition test. The results were as follows: The disease occurred predominantly in males with a high incidence in the third and fourth decades of life. The highest incidence of the disease occurred in October–December. Major symptoms were fever, abdominal or flank pain, vomiting and myalgia. Major signs were petechia, CVA tenderness, pharynegeal injection, and conjunctival infection, but these signs were much less common than in patients with classic KHF. The treatments were mainly conservative and there was no fatal case in the study subjects. These findings suggest that the clinical course of Seoul virus infection may be much milder than that of classic KHF and the outcome may be more favorable.