A review of 10 studies looked at patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). Researchers specifically looked for signs of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is a serious fungal infection of the lungs. The study found that about 27.4% of these patients developed this lung infection.
The analysis found that several common treatments were linked to higher odds of developing the lung infection. These included corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), antibiotics, and mechanical ventilation. Patients who did develop the lung infection also faced a significantly higher risk of death compared to those who did not.
It is important to note that these findings show an association between certain treatments and the infection, but they do not prove that the treatments caused the infection. Because this was a review of several different studies with high variation in results, the evidence is not definitive. Doctors should still use these findings as a reason to monitor patients closely for lung infections during treatment.
