Improving treatments for post-Ebola syndrome sufferers

A year on from the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa, and many Ebola survivors are now suffering symptoms of post-Ebola syndrome (PES), including vision complications, joint and muscle pain and psychiatric and neurological problems.

To find out more about the broad-ranging symptoms of PES, a clinical team led by Dr Janet Scott and Dr Calum Semple, from the University's Institute of Translational Medicine, assessed survivors discharged from the Ebola Treatment Unit at the 34th Regiment Military Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Dr Scott said: "There are over 17,000 survivors from the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa, including around 5,000 in Sierra Leone. This provides us with a new opportunity to better understand these debilitating post-viral symptoms and improve ongoing care for patients."

To better understand the neurological and psychiatric effects of PES, adult patients with predetermined, significant symptoms such as confusion, depression and psychosis, were identified from the patient notes of over 300 Ebola survivors.

see more at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160412104940.htm