[Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Apropos of 13 cases observed in Lorraine].

Thirteen cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) have been observed in the Nancy area. Ten occurred during the summer of 1983 and three in April and May 1985. The clinical characteristics were in each case very typical: abrupt onset with high fever, myalgia, intense lumbar and abdominal pain, pulsatile headache, inflammatory syndrome, WBC count increase and thrombocytopenia. Acute renal failure occurred a few days later with oliguria (9 cases out of 13), massive proteinuria (9/13) and hematuria (6/13). All patients recovered without sequelae within 8-10 days. Renal biopsy performed in 8 patients showed slight tubular lesions with interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrate, congestion and diffuse interstitial edema, and in 2 cases hemorrhagic extravasation. No glomerular lesions were observed. Clinical, histological and epidemiological characteristics of these 13 French cases are highly similar to those of the Scandinavian Nephropathia Epidemica reports. The epidemiology of HFRS remains unclear as do its pathophysiological mechanisms.