One-year mortality and morbidities of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome compared with other diseases: A nationwide cohort study in South Korea.

• Main Authors: Namwoo Heo (Author), Seok-Jae Heo (Author), Yoon Soo Park (Author), Seonju Yi (Author), Hyunju Lee (Author), Hyo-Jung Lee (Author), Yong Chan Kim (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1935-2727; 1935-2735; 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012253
• Keywords: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 18, Iss 6, p e0012253 (2024)

<h4>Background</h4>The long-term mortality and morbidity of patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) remain unclear.<h4>Methods</h4>This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service dataset on hospitalized patients with SFTS aged ≥20 years between 2016 and 2021 (n = 1,217). Each SFTS case was matched with three controls hospitalized for non-SFTS-related diseases using propensity score matching. The all-cause mortality of patients with SFTS was evaluated during the one-year follow-up and compared with that of controls. Post-discharge events were investigated to determine the effects of SFTS on post-acute sequelae.<h4>Results</h4>Finally, 1,105 patients with SFTS and 3,315 controls were included. Patients with SFTS had a higher risk of death during the one-year follow-up than that of controls (hazard ratio [HR], 2·26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1·82-2·81). Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in the SFTS group (HR, 3·99; 95% CI, 3·07-5·19) than in the control group. An increased risk of death after 31-365 days was observed among controls, though this difference was significant only among patients in their 80s (HR, 0·18; 95% CI, 0·06-0·57). For post-discharge events, patients in the SFTS group exhibited a higher risk of readmission (HR, 1·17; 95% CI, 1·04-1·32) and emergency room visit (HR, 2·32; 95% CI, 1·96-2·76) than those in the control group.<h4>Conclusion</h4>SFTS induces a higher risk of short-term mortality and post-acute sequelae in hospitalized patients during a one-year follow-up than non-SFTS-related diseases. Our results provide guidance for the management of SFTS.