• Hasan Tahsin Gozdas.
• Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kastamonu State Hospital, Kastamonu, Turkey.
• Afr Health Sci. 2019 Mar 1; 19 (1): 1433-1440.

BackgroundCrimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an endemic zoonosis in Kastamonu, Turkey. Clinical and laboratory findings may not be specific in the early phase of the disease, hence bringing a challenge to the clinician.ObjectiveWe aimed to distinguish CCHF cases among all suspected cases by comparing them with non-CCHF cases with respect to characteristics during admission.MethodsCases with a presumptive diagnosis of CCHF at a secondary care hospital in Kastamonu in between 2014-2017 were evaluated, retrospectively. CCHF and non-CCHF cases were compared with respect to their clinical, laboratory and epidemiological characteristics during admission.ResultsAmong 76 suspected patients, CCHF was found in 46.1% of them. Four-year fatality rate was 9.6% in CCHF cases. The frequency of headache, nausea/vomiting, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia less than 50x109/L, AST-ALT and LDH elevation, tick bites and contact with blood or body fluids of animals in CCHF cases were significantly higher than in non-CCHF cases (p<0.05).ConclusionHeadache and nausea/vomiting accompanied with leukopenia, thrombocytopenia less than 50x109/L, AST-ALT and LDH elevations raise the possibility of CCHF in endemic regions especially when there is a history of tick bite and contact with blood or body fluids of animals.

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