title: Impact of the A (H1N1) pandemic influenza (season 2009-2010) on patients with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Influenza, like other respiratory viral infections, can cause acute deterioration of lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous studies on a small number of patients reported that most people with CF infected with A (H1N1) influenza experienced a mild course of disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterise the impact of A (H1N1) infection on CF in a large number of patients from different centres and countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  CF centres accessing the web-site of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) were asked to report clinical data on patients with an ascertained diagnosis of influenza caused by the A (H1N1) virus. The study was web-based and data were collected through an electronic data sheet on the ECFS website.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five centres from 10 countries caring for 4698 patients with CF reported data on 110 patients (2.3%), median age 13 years (range 1-39 years). The prevalence of infection in each centre ranged from 0% to 9.4%. Only 8.8% of the patients had been vaccinated. The main symptoms were fever and respiratory exacerbation requiring IV antibiotics in 53% of the patients; 48% of the patients were hospitalised for an average of 12.9 days (range 2-56) and 31% required oxygen treatment during the time of the infection. Most of the patients recovered and FEV(1) 1 month after the infection was similar to that before the infection. However, 6 patients were admitted to ICU, 5 with mechanical ventilation. Three patients with severe respiratory disease died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A (H1N1) influenza infection caused transient but significant morbidity in most of the patients with CF. However, in a small number of patients with severe lung disease, A (H1N1) influenza was associated with respiratory deterioration, mechanical ventilation and even death.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina del Lavoro Clinica del Lavoro L. Devoto, Sezione di Statistica Medica e Biometria G.A.Maccacaro, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Viviani
authors.forename: Baroukh M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Assael
authors.forename: Eitan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kerem
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000821:virology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D058873:Pandemics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution