The signs and symptoms exhibited by 29 patients with an acute illness
in whom antibodies to hantavirus were detected are described. In the s
evere cases the most striking signs and symptoms were the persistence
for 2 or 3 weeks of a severe sore throat with pyrexia that developed e
arly in the illness, followed by swelling of the face, neck and extrem
ities, with arthropathy and prolonged malaise that lasted for months.
A macular erythematous rash, hepatomegaly with abnormal liver function
tests, and a tendency to haemorrhage was a later feature of the sever
e cases. Mild cases presented with a variety of signs and symptoms tha
t were very difficult to link together as a syndrome.