The Unusual Finding of Peripheral Lymphadenopathy Among Confirmed Lassa Fever Patients in Nigeria

Abstract

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever belonging to the arenaviridae family that is well known to be endemic to West Africa. The clinical presentation of the disease ranges from asymptomatic to fulminant illness. Lymphadenopathy a clinical manifestation of inflammation, infection, or malignancy has not been widely reported in Lassa fever disease. We report two cases of Lassa fever disease presenting with lymphadenopathy.

Plain Language Summary

Enlargement of lymph nodes, is a common symptom of many infections, however it is not commonly mentioned in patients with Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever that is endemic in West Africa. However, recent research suggests that lymphadenopathy may be underreported in Lassa fever patients. This new finding could have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, as well as for our understanding of how it spreads.

Keywords:

• clinical features
• Federal Medical Center Owo (FMCO)
• Lassa fever
• lymphadenopathy

Author contributions

Designed, conceived and drafted and revised the study: SO Owhin. Designed and conceived the study: C Abejegah, Olatunde, AN Adedosun and OO Ayodeji. Revised the study: TR Folorunso, J Azegbeobor, PE Akhideno, GO Akpede, AJ Ayeyemi, OZ Olowosusi, C Erameh and LA Ahmed.

Acknowledgments

ID Etafo, AA Osagbaekhoe, O Gbenga-Ayeni, J Etafo, SF Buraimoh, member of staff of ICC, Molecular lab and ALIMA.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.