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Influenza complications increased length of hospital stay
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Influenza-associated complications among hospitalized children may be associated with increased intensive care requirements and prolonged hopsitalization which highlights the importance of primary prevention of influenza in children with influenza vaccines, according to recent study findings published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
“Influenza, the syndrome resulting from influenza virus infection, typically results in fever, cough, sore throat, myalgia and fatigue,” Fatimah Dawood, MD, of the CDC and colleagues wrote. “However, influenza virus infections can also result in more severe illness with complications involving one or more organ systems. Among children hospitalized with influenza, complications involving the respiratory tract, such as pneumonia and exacerbations of chronic lung disease, occur most frequently.”
The study evaluated the frequency of influenza-associated complications among 6,769 children younger than 18 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
Researchers found that the median length of hospital stay was 3 days. Fourteen percent of participants required intensive care, respiratory failure occurred in 5% and 1% died.
Complications included pneumonia (28%), asthma exacerbations (22%) and dehydration (21%). Lung abscess/empyema, tracheitis, encephalopathy, bacteremia/sepsis, acute renal failure and myocarditis each occurred in 2% of less of partiicpants; however, they were associated with a median length of stay longer than 6 days. Two percent of participants had positive bacterial cultures.
“Although respiratory complications occur most frequently among children hospitalized with influenza, rare complications add substantially to the burden of hospitalized children with influenza through intensive care admissions and prolonged hospitalization,” researchers wrote. “Health care providers should consider influenza in the differential diagnosis of children hospitalized with both respiratory and non-respiratory complications during periods of influenza virus circulation, as these children may benefit from early empiric antiviral treatment.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Fatimah Dawood, MD, can be reached at 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS A-32, Atlanta, GA 3033; email: fdawood@cdc.gov.
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