Early use of ribavirin is beneficial in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Abstract

We evaluated the effect of early use of ribavirin on outcomes of patients at a secondary care hospital. The study included patients who were hospitalized between 2005 and 2010 at the Infectious Diseases Department of Kastamonu Dr. Münif İslamoğlu Hospital in the Kastamonu Province of Turkey. In total, 342 confirmed cases of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) were included in the study. The overall case fatality rate was 2.9%. In multivariate analysis, the patients that were admitted to the hospital within 2 days after onset of symptoms (odds ratio [OR]=0.5, confidence interval [CI] 0.31–0.86) and received oral ribavirin (OR=0.12, CI 0.05–0.26) were less likely to become more severe cases and less likely to be transferred to the tertiary care centers. Having vaginal bleeding was a significant parameter for transfer.