A new research conducted by the Liverpool University’s Institute of Transnational Medicine and the School of Tropical Medicine has shown that there is need for long-term rehabilitation of Ebola survivors.
This is because almost 80% of Ebola survivors interviewed were found to have major limitations in mobility, cognition and vision.
The scale of the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak has resulted in an unprecedented number of survivors and the opportunity to vastly improve the understanding of the health challenges they face.
Researchers, led by Soushieta Jagadesh, assessed disability amongst a cohort of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) survivors 12 months following their discharge from the Ebola Survivors Clinic, 34 Military Hospital in Sierra Leone and compared with their close contacts.
On the area of physical and mental impairments, the researchers explained that disability was measured using the Washington Group-Disability Extended Questionnaire (WG ES-F) for both the EVD survivors and their non-affected contacts. The questionnaire measured self-reported physical and mental impairments present at the time of the interview.
It further discovered that disability in at least one of the six domains was reported by significantly more EVD survivors than controls.
On the area of mobility disability was reported by 78% of EVD survivors compared to 11% of non-survivors.
Differences in physical disability were most marked with the EVD survivors’ cohort being between up to 206 times more likely to experience difficulty in walking 100m, 500m, climbing 12 stairs or overall moderate difficulty with mobility. Pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression all influence disability in mobility.
The study also showed that EVD survivors had significantly higher subjective difficulties remembering or concentrating and were eight times more likely than controls to suffer from blurred vision.
Dr. Soushieta Jagadesh, said: “We have demonstrated that a year following acute disease, survivors of the West African EVD outbreak continue to have a higher chance of disability in mobility, cognition and vision than their close-contacts. Issues such as anxiety and depression persist in EVD survivors and must not be neglected.”
Dr. Janet Scoot Clinical Lecturer, University of Liverpool, said: “This study highlights that EVD results in long term substantial disability. Understanding post Ebola syndrome could improve our future care of EVD patients and patients suffering other severe viral infections.”
On the need for rehabilitation, Dr. Ralf Weigel Senior Clinical Lecturer, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Further evaluation of the scale of disability in larger survivor cohorts would be useful, as is a new focus on sustainable long-term rehabilitation in EVD survivors.”
Clinical Lead EVD Survivors Clinic, 34 Military Hospital Dr. Sesay, commented: “We continue to care for over 500 Ebola Survivors, as part of the country wide integrated network of EVD Survivors Care. This study highlights the continuing need for focused care for EVD survivors.”
BM/26/8/17
Monday August 28, 2017.
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