title: Oseltamivir treatment for influenza in hospitalized children without underlying diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the treatment with oseltamivir improves the outcome of children with confirmed influenza infection and no other underlying disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicentric, retrospective study performed in 10 hospitals of Madrid between September 2010 and June 2012. All children admitted to the hospitals with confirmed influenza infections were eligible. Children with risk factors for serious disease and nosocomial influenza infections were excluded. Asthma was not considered an exclusion factor. The study compared patients treated and untreated with oseltamivir. Fever duration, oxygen support, antibiotics administration, length of hospital stay, intensive care admission and bacterial complications were analyzed. To compare variables, χ(2) test, Fisher exact test, ANOVA or Mann-Whitney U test were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred eighty-seven children were included and 93 of them were treated with oseltamivir (32%). There were no significant differences between treated and untreated patients in days of fever after admission (1.7 ± 2; 2.1 ± 2.9, P > 0.05), length of stay (5.2 ± 3.6; 5.5 ± 3.4, P > 0.05), days of hypoxia (1.6 ± 2.3; 2.1 ± 2.9, P > 0.05), diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia (10%; 17%, P > 0.05), intensive care admission (6.5%; 1.5%,P > 0.05) or antibiotic prescription (44%; 51%, P > 0.05). There were no differences when the population was stratified by age (below or over 1 year) or by the presence or absence of asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no proven benefits of treatment with oseltamivir in hospitalized pediatric patients without the underlying diseases or risk factors for developing a serious illness, including those with asthma.
authors.affiliation: From the *Fundación Hospital Alcorcón, †Severo Ochoa Hospital, ‡Hospital Infantil La Paz, §Hospital Gregorio Marañón, ¶Hospital Puerta de Hierro, ‖Hospital 12 de Octubre, **Hospital de Getafe, ††Hospital Ramón y Cajal, ‡‡Hospital del Sureste and §§Hospital Infanta Sofía, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Méndez-Echevarría
authors.forename: María Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: de José
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: Miriann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tovizi
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guillén
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Blas
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llorente
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarrago
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Escosa
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cilleruelo
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomatis
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blazquez
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Otheo
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazagatos
authors.forename: Maria Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: García-García
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000821:virology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D053139:Oseltamivir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D053139:Oseltamivir