Long-term hormonal follow-up after human Puumala hantavirus infection

SummaryObjective Nephropathia epidemica (NE) is a haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Puumala hantavirus (PUUV). Pituitary haemorrhage and hypopituitarism may complicate recovery from acute NE. Design Forty-seven of our recent cohort of 58 NE patients volunteered to be re-examined in order to estimate the burden of hormonal deficiency 4 to 8 years after the acute illness. Two patients had suffered from pituitary haemorrhage, but many others exhibited pituitary oedema during their acute infection. In this study, we searched for symptoms of hormonal deficiency, performed hormonal laboratory screening, and most patients underwent pituitary MRI examination. Results The pituitary size had diminished in all patients in whom MRI was performed (P