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Living with Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome

A rare illness spread by rodents that causes fever, body aches, kidney problems, and bleeding.

Understanding Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome

Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome is a rare illness caused by Old World hantaviruses, which are carried by rodents.

It can be serious. It causes high fever, tiredness, headache, muscle and joint pain, backache, and belly pain. It can affect the kidneys, with less urine, and cause bleeding in the body. It can occur at any time in life.

Signs & symptoms

Symptoms vary from person to person. GARD lists these among the most common:

  • Fever and chills
  • Headache
  • Belly pain and back pain
  • Sudden kidney injury
  • Less urine than normal
  • Blurred vision

Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.

Diagnosis

  1. Talk with your doctor

    Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.

  2. See a specialist

    Your doctor may refer you to a specialist who knows rare conditions.

  3. Ask which tests can help

    Your care team will decide which exams and tests can confirm the diagnosis.

Care & treatment

Care team
A doctor familiar with rare conditions, plus specialists as needed
Expert care
Ask about multidisciplinary care centers for rare conditions
Treatment
GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
Research
Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.

General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.

Everyday life

Living with a rare condition is easier with support.

  • Connect with rare disease patient organizations for support
  • Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
  • Ask about patient registries that help research
  • Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Bring these questions to your next doctor visit
How is this infection confirmed?
How are kidney problems watched for?
How can we lower the risk of rodent exposure at home?

Quick facts

Symptoms usually startany time in life

It is caused by Old World hantaviruses, which are spread by rodents. GARD doesn't describe other causes.

Infectious

Also known as: hantavirosis; hantavirus fever; hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; hfrs - hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; puumala virus nephropathy

Patient organizations

Rare-disease groups that can help

Source: NIH GARD · Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndromeGARD ID 18689 · GARD page updated September 2026 · Plain-language summary by Know Rare; editorial review pending. General information, not medical advice.

You are more than your diagnosis

Perspectives from people navigating life with Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome.

Explore the Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome blog

Explore research for Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome

Explore actively recruiting Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome studies with HealthSpark.

HealthSpark

Find actively recruiting studies for Hemorrhagic fever-renal syndrome with HealthSpark. Share your city to explore research near you.

  • Recruiting studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Share your city to look for research near you
  • Eligibility is confirmed by the study team

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Powered by HealthSpark, our AI chat helper · Study information from ClinicalTrials.gov · Eligibility is confirmed by the study team.

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