Saka Sulymon A, Lawal Qudus O, Otaigbe Osahon, Blackie Faustina F, Ighodaro Osazuwa, Odafen Perpetua I, Okogbenin Sylvanus
Department of Otolaryngology, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria.
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.
BMC Infect Dis. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):823. doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-11262-1.
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease endemic to West Africa. While most infections are mild, severe cases have high morbidity and mortality, with case fatality rates ranging from 15% in mild cases to 60% in severe cases. Survivors often experience chronic health complications, but these long-term effects remain understudied despite their public health significance.
This scoping review synthesises evidence on the long-term health sequelae of Lassa fever, maps key findings from existing studies, and identifies critical gaps to guide future research and clinical care.
A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar (up to September 2024) for English-language studies reporting physical, psychological, and functional outcomes ≥ 4 weeks post-recovery. Studies were selected using PCC framework (Population: Lassa survivors; Concept: Long-term sequelae; Context: Endemic regions globally). PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed.
Nine (9) studies from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Germany were included, comprising three cross-sectional studies, two case-control studies, two case reports, one retrospective descriptive study and one retrospective cohort study. Hearing loss was the most prevalent sequela (16–35% of survivors), often bilateral and sensorineural with associated balance disorders (55%) and social isolation. Neurological sequelae included delayed-onset paraparesis, seizures (37% in on cohort) and cognitive impairment (8.8%). 42% of survivors in one study had ophthalmic manifestations such as cataract and retinal hemorrhage. Depression and delirium were frequently reported.
Lassa fever has significant long-term health consequences requiring multidisciplinary care. More research, particularly longitudinal and interventional studies is needed to improve post-recovery outcomes, survivor rehabilitation, inform evidence-based policies and guide resource allocation in endemic regions.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-025-11262-1.
拉沙热是一种在西非流行的病毒性出血热疾病。虽然大多数感染症状较轻，但严重病例的发病率和死亡率很高，病死率从轻度病例的15%到重度病例的60%不等。幸存者常常会经历慢性健康并发症，然而尽管这些长期影响具有公共卫生意义，但仍未得到充分研究。
本范围综述综合了关于拉沙热长期健康后遗症的证据，梳理了现有研究的关键发现，并确定了关键差距，以指导未来的研究和临床护理。
在PubMed/MEDLINE、Embase和谷歌学术（截至2024年9月）中进行了系统的文献检索，以查找报告康复后≥4周身体、心理和功能结局的英文研究。使用PCC框架（人群：拉沙热幸存者；概念：长期后遗症；背景：全球流行地区）选择研究。遵循PRISMA-ScR指南。
纳入了来自尼日利亚、塞拉利昂和德国的9项研究，包括3项横断面研究、2项病例对照研究、2项病例报告、1项回顾性描述性研究和1项回顾性队列研究。听力损失是最常见的后遗症（占幸存者的16%-35%），通常为双侧性且为感音神经性，伴有相关的平衡障碍（55%）和社交隔离。神经后遗症包括迟发性下肢轻瘫、癫痫发作（在一个队列中占37%）和认知障碍（8.8%）。一项研究中42%的幸存者有白内障和视网膜出血等眼部表现。经常报告有抑郁和谵妄。
拉沙热会产生重大的长期健康后果，需要多学科护理。需要更多研究，特别是纵向和干预性研究，以改善康复后结局、幸存者康复情况，为循证政策提供信息，并指导流行地区的资源分配。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s12879-025-11262-1获取的补充材料。
