Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Lassa fever history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Common symptoms of Lassa fever typically include persistent, high-grade fever and other non-specific symptoms, such as headache, myalgia/arthralgia, cough, conjunctival injection, and vomiting. Less commonly, patients may present with more severe symptoms, such as GI bleeding, deafness, confusion, seizures, and coma.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
The current case definition for suspecting Lassa fever is as follows:[1]
| Unexplained fever at least 38 °C or 100.4 °F for ≥ 1 week |
|---|
| And 1 of the following: |
| â–¸ No response to standard treatment with the choice of regimen for most likely cause of fever (malaria, typhoid fever) |
| â–¸ Readmitted within 3 weeks of inpatient care for an illness with fever |
| And 1 of the following |
| â–¸ Edema or bleeding |
| â–¸ Sore throat and retrosternal pain/vomiting |
| â–¸ Spontaneous abortion following fever |
| â–¸ Hearing loss following fever |
Common Symptoms
Common Symptoms
Common symptoms of Lassa fever are often non-specific symptoms that resemble symptoms of other viral infections:
- Fever and chills (typically persistent, high-grade fever)
- Headache
- Malaise
- Myalgia
- Arthralgia
- Chest pain (typically retrosternal)
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Sore throat
- Back pain
- Cough
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea (may be bloody)
- Conjunctival injection and conjunctival hemorrhage
- Mucosal bleeding
- Hearing loss
The following table lists the common symptoms of Lassa fever and their corresponding prevalence among infected patients:
| Symptom of Lassa Fever | Prevalence Among Infected Patients (%) |
| Fever | ≈100 |
| Headache | 80-90 |
| Arthralgia/Myalgia | 80-90 |
| Retrosternal Chest Pain | 80-90 |
| Weakness | 70-80 |
| Dizziness | 70-80 |
| Sore Throat/Pharyngitis | 60-80 |
| Cough | 60-70 |
| Vomiting | 60-70 |
| Abdominal Pain | 50-60 |
| Diarrhea | 30-50 |
| Conjunctivitis/Subconjunctival Hemorrhage | 30-40 |
| Chills | 20-40 |
| Deafness | 20-30 |
| Bleeding | 20-30 |
| Confusion | 10-20 |
| Swollen Neck or Face | 10-20 |
Less Common Symptoms
Less Common Symptoms
Less common symptoms of Lassa fever usually develop late and are often associated with a more severe course of disease.
Skin
HEENT
Gastrointestinal tract
Cardiovascular system
Respiratory tract
Nervous system
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Ammu Susheela, M.D. [2]