RESUMEN
Objective: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic disease associated with a high fatality rate. CCHF is endemic in Afghanistan, and its morbidity and mortality have increased recently but there is limited data about the characteristics of fatal cases. We aimed to report the clinical and epidemiological features of fatal CCHF cases who were admitted to Kabul Referral Infectious Diseases (Antani) Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. The demographic and presenting clinical and laboratory features of 30 fatal CCHF cases diagnosed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were collected from the patients' records between March 2021 and March 2023. Results: During the study period, a total of 118 laboratory-confirmed CCHF patients were admitted to Kabul Antani Hospital of whom 30 patients (25 males, 5 females) consequently died, indicating a 25.4% case fatality rate (CFR). The age of the fatal cases ranged from 15 to 62 years and their mean age was 36.6 ± 11.7 years. Concerning occupation, the patients were butchers (23.3%), animal dealers (20%), shepherds (16.6%), housewives (16.6%), farmers (10%), student (3.3%), and others (10%). The clinical symptoms of the patients on admission were fever (100%), generalized body pain (100%), fatigue (90%), bleeding (any type) (86.6%), headache (80%), nausea/vomiting (73.3%), and diarrhea (70%). The initial abnormal laboratory findings were leukopenia (80%), leukocytosis (6.6%), anemia (73.3%), and thrombocytopenia (100%), raised hepatic enzymes (ALT & AST) (96.6%) and prolonged prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) (100%). Conclusion: The hemorrhagic manifestations associated with low platelet and raised PT/INR levels are linked with fatal outcomes. A high index of clinical suspicion is required to recognize the disease at an early stage and to begin the treatment promptly for reducing mortality.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Necrotizing pneumonia is rare in children and is one of the most serious complications of a lung infection caused by antibiotic failure. We present a 12-year-old leukopenic child with a long-lasting lung infection, presenting as having a lung hydatid cyst, but diagnosing with necrotizing pneumonia in the right bilobed lung. Failure to medical treatment and ongoing leukopenia justified surgical intervention with positive results. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was referred to our teaching hospital's pediatric surgery department. He had previously been diagnosed with intestinal tuberculosis (TB) and received anti-TB treatment. On referral to our hospital, the patient was suffering from restlessness, frequent coughing, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Following the completion of the clinical work-up, a blood test revealed leukopenia (white blood cell count of 2100/microliter), a normal platelet count, and a lesion in the right lung. Computerized tomography scanning (CT-Scan) image reported a lung hydatid cyst. In the pediatrics ward, a broad-spectrum antibiotics regimen with triple-antibiotic therapy (linezolid, vancomycin, and metronidazole) was instituted and continued for a week with no response, but worsening of the condition. In the pediatric surgery ward, our decision for surgical intervention was due to the failure of medical treatment because of a pulmonary lesion. Our team performed right lung upper lobe anterior segment wedge resection due to necrotizing pneumonia and followed the patient 45 days post-operation with a reasonable result. CONCLUSION: Living in remote rural areas with low resources and inaccessibility to proper and specialized diagnostic and treatment centers will all contribute to an improper diagnosis and treatment of lung infection. In total, all of these will increase the morbidity and mortality due to lung necrosis in the pediatric population, regardless of their age. In low-resource facilities, high-risk patients can benefit from surgical intervention to control the ongoing infection process.
