Clinical features, risk factors, and complications among pediatric patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1).
OBJECTIVE
The authors aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, risk factors for severe disease, and complications in children with laboratory-confirmed pandemic influenza A (H1N1).


METHODS
H1N1 was confirmed by performing reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay on oropharyngeal swab specimens. The medical charts of a subset of the evaluated patients were reviewed retrospectively; another subset was enrolled prospectively.


RESULTS
A total of 51 patients (44 [86%] > 5 years) were identified to have laboratory-confirmed H1N1. Fever was the most common presenting symptom (92%). Of the 15 hospitalized patients, 4 had asthma, and 5 were overweight or obese. All but 1 of these 9 patients developed influenza-related complications. Overall, 10 of the 15 hospitalized patients (67%) developed an influenza-related complication (6 bronchitis and 4 pneumonia).


CONCLUSIONS
In this cohort, most children with confirmed H1N1 infection experience an uncomplicated viral illness. Nevertheless, underlying asthma and obesity may aggravate their clinical course.
Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and General Hospital of Zakynthos, Zakynthos, Greece.
Eleni
E
Plessa
Panagiotis
P
Diakakis
John
J
Gardelis
Athanasios
A
Thirios
Patra
P
Koletsi
Matthew E
ME
Falagas
D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000821:virology; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000821:virology; D058873:Pandemics; D010361:Patients; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors