Characterising the Loss of Haemostasis in Haemorrhagic Fever With Renal Syndrome

Hantaviruses are globally distributed viruses that cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe, a disease characterised by acute kidney failure and, in some cases, significant bleeding complications. The mechanisms underlying clotting abnormalities in HFRS remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the pathological mechanisms of clotting dysfunction in hospitalised HFRS patients, assess the impact of different hantavirus types on disease severity, and evaluate the accuracy of a severity scoring system developed in China for predicting mortality in European patients.

Hospitalised patients with laboratory-confirmed HFRS will be prospectively recruited from University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. Blood samples will be analysed for routine laboratory markers, thromboelastography (TEG) will assess real-time clotting function, and transcriptomic analysis will identify hantavirus strains and gene expression patterns linked to disease severity. Patients will be stratified into haemorrhagic and non-haemorrhagic groups, with statistical analyses comparing clinical and laboratory parameters to identify predictors of bleeding risk. Findings from this study may contribute to improved risk stratification and potential therapeutic targets for HFRS.