title: Neurologic complications of 2009 influenza-a H1N1 infection in children.
abstract: Little is known about the neurologic complications of the 2009 Influenza-A H1N1 epidemic in children. We present a retrospective analysis of children evaluated at a tertiary children's hospital who tested positive for H1N1 with neurologic complications. A total of 164 children tested positive for H1N1. Thirty-one of these patients (19%) were evaluated and discharged from the emergency department. Thirty-nine (24%) were treated in the intensive care unit, the remaining 94 (57%) were treated in medical in-patient units. Six subjects died (3.7%). Neurologic complications identified included headache, encephalitis, polyneuropathy, seizures, and malignant hyperthermia. The rate of neurologic complications in this cohort of patients who tested positive for H1N1 was 19%. The incidence of serious neurologic complications was 3%, with another 3% of patients who experienced rapid clinical deterioration and subsequently died. Our observation of neurologic complications associated with 2009 influenza-A H1N1 epidemic suggests the need for clinical vigilance during future influenza epidemics.
authors: Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. osmanfarooq@yahoo.com
authors: Osman
authors: O
authors: Farooq
authors: Howard S
authors: HS
authors: Faden
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Cohen
authors: Murali
authors: M
authors: Ramanathan
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Barrett
authors: Mark K
authors: MK
authors: Farkas
authors: Thomas J
authors: TJ
authors: Langan
authors: E Ann
authors: EA
authors: Yeh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D012189:Retrospective Studies