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Volume 25, Number 8—August 2019
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Retrospective Cohort Study of Lassa Fever in Pregnancy, Southern Nigeria

Sylvanus OkogbeninComments to Author , Joseph Okoeguale, George Akpede, Andres Colubri, Kayla G. Barnes, Samar Mehta, Reuben Eifediyi, Felix Okogbo, Joseph Eigbefoh, Mojeed Momoh, Mojeed Rafiu, Donatus Adomeh, Ikponmwosa Odia, Chris Aire, Rebecca Atafo, Martha Okonofua, Meike Pahlman, Beate Becker-Ziaja, Danny Asogun, Peter Okokhere, Christian Happi, Stephan Günther, Pardis C. Sabeti, and Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon
Author affiliations: Institute of Lassa Fever Research and Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria (S.A. Okogbenin, J. Okoeguale, G. Akpede, R. Eifediyi, F. Okogbo, J. Eigbefoh, M. Momoh, M. Rafiu, D. Adomeh, I. Odia, C. Aire, R. Atafo, M. Okonofua, D. Asogun, P. Okokhere, E. Ogbaini-Emovon); Ambrose Alli University Faculty of Clinical Science, Ekpoma, Nigeria (S.A. Okogbenin, G. Akpede, D. Asogun, P. Okokhere),; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (A. Colubri, K.G. Barnes, S. Mehta, P.C. Sabeti); Harvard University, Cambridge (A. Colubri, P.C. Sabeti); Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (S. Mehta); Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine and German Centre for Infection Research, Partner Site, Hamburg, Germany (M. Pahlman, B. Becker-Ziaja, S. Günther); Department of Biological Sciences and African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria (C. Happi); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston (P.C. Sabeti)

Main Article

Table 2

Relationship between clinical manifestations and maternal death observed in a retrospective cohort study of Lassa fever in pregnancy conducted at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria, January 2009–March 2018*

Sign or symptom No. (%)
p value OR (95% CI)
All women, N = 30 Women who survived, n = 19 Women who died, n = 11
Retrosternal pain 19 (63) 13 (68) 6 (54) 0.7 0.55 (0.12–2.6)
Vomiting 18 (60) 12 (63) 6 (54) 0.7 0.7 (0.15–3.2)
Headache 16 (53) 13 (68) 3 (27) 0.06 0.17 (0.03–0.89)
Fetal death 17 (56) 7 (36) 10 (90) 0.007 17 (1.8–>100)
Vaginal bleeding 14 (46) 6 (31) 8 (72) 0.06 5.8 (1.1–30)
Breast pain or engorgement 13 (43) 12 (63) 1 (9) 0.007 0.06 (0.01–0.56)
Difficulty swallowing 12 (40) 6 (31) 6 (54) 0.3 2.6 (0.56–12)
Sore throat 11 (36) 6 (31) 5 (45) 0.7 1.8 (0.39–8.3)
Abdominal pain 10 (33) 6 (31) 4 (36) 1 1.2 (0.26–5.9)
Cough 10 (33) 3 (15) 7 (63) 0.01 9.3 (1.6–53)
Extravaginal bleeding 9 (30) 0 (0) 9 (81) <0.0001 >100 (0–>100)
Renal angle tenderness 9 (30) 6 (31) 3 (27) 1 0.81 (0.16–4.2)
Convulsions 8 (26) 1 (5) 7 (63) 0.001 31 (3–>100)
Oliguria† 8 (26) 1 (5) 7 (63) 0.001 32 (3–>100)
Preterm contractions 8 (26) 7 (36) 1 (9) 0.2 0.17 (0.02–1.6)
Jaundice 7 (23) 2 (10) 5 (45) 0.07 7.1 (1.1–47)
Deafness 5 (16) 3 (15) 2 (18) 1 1.2 (0.17–8.5)

*Boldface indicates a statistically significant correlation between a sign or symptom and death (p<0.05 by χ2 or Fisher exact test for maternal death among women with a stated sign or symptom compared with women without that sign or symptom). OR, odds ratio.
†Defined as <0.5 mL/kg/h for ≥6 h.

Main Article

Page created: July 16, 2019
Page updated: July 16, 2019
Page reviewed: July 16, 2019
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