Comparison of Blood Parameters in Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and Upper Respiratory Infection Patients with...

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Infectious Diseases
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) symptoms overlap with upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), complicating diagnosis in endemic regions.
• Distinguishing CCHF from URTI is crucial for timely and appropriate patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if complete blood count (CBC) parameters can differentiate CCHF from URTI in emergency department settings.
• To assess the diagnostic utility of CBC in the context of potential CCHF cases presenting with non-specific symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparative analysis of 503 patients (203 CCHF, 300 URTI) was conducted.
• Key hematological parameters including White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Platelet (PLT) count, Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), and Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) were analyzed.
• Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to evaluate prognostic values.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in CBC parameters were found between CCHF and URTI groups (P<0.001).
• CCHF patients exhibited lower WBC, PLT, and lymphocyte counts, alongside higher MPV and RDW, compared to URTI patients.
• A notable 40.4% of CCHF cases were initially misdiagnosed as URTI. ROC analysis showed moderate prognostic power for Hemoglobin (HGB) and PLT in predicting mortality.

Conclusions:

• CBC parameters serve as valuable tools for differentiating CCHF from URTI, particularly when RT-PCR testing is inaccessible.
• Emergency physicians should consider CCHF in their differential diagnosis for patients presenting with flu-like symptoms and specific hematological abnormalities.