Italian research identifies factors that worsen Mpox

As detailed in the EBioMedicine journal of the Lancet Group, an Italian multicentre study on Mpox has pinpointed several factors linked to increased severity and extended direct exposure to monkeypox. The research, titled “Clinical and Laboratory Predictors of Mpox Severity and Duration: An Italian Multicentre Cohort Study (Mpox-Icona),” was led by the National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS in Rome and the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan. This study involved 15 Italian infectious disease centers affiliated with the Icona Network. This case study represents the most comprehensive examination of Mpox in Italy, encompassing a cohort of 541 patients out of 1056 cases documented in the country. Several factors are associated with higher severity and longer duration of the disease. Factors contributing to the condition include a high viral load in pharyngeal swabs, Caucasian ethnicity, the onset of fever, oral manifestations, lesions proximal to the anus, and lymphadenopathy. Furthermore, Mpox tends to last longer in cases with rectal or orofacial localization, widespread rash, and in individuals with HIV or severe immunodeficiency.