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Certain risk factors associated with pediatric influenza hospitalization
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Certain risk factors are associated with increased influenza-related hospitaliztions among children in the United States, according to recent study findings published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.
These risk factors included chronic illness, young maternal age, exposure to household smoke, and lack of influenza vaccination among household contacts.
Nila J. Dharan, MD, formerly of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and now assistant professor in the department of medicine at New Jersey Medical School, and colleagues evaluated 290 cases and 1,089 controls over three influenza seasons (2005-2006, 2006-2007; and 2007-2008) to determine risk factors for influenza-associated hospitalization.
Rapid diagnostic test (57%) was the most common test used to confirm influenza followed by immunofluorescence antibody staining (29%), viral culture (7%) and reverse transcription-PCR (4%).
Risk for hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed influenza was increased among patients who were male, Hispanic, black, or had a low birth weight. Patients breast-fed for 6 or more months had a reduced risk of hospitalization of 50% or more compared with those who were never breast-fed. Hospital admission for influenza was also increased among those without private insurance or those not fully vaccinated.
Patients with one or more chronic illness were also at increased risk for influenza-associated hospitalization, in addition to having mothers younger than 26 years, smokers in the household, and household income of two times less than the poverty level However, the risk of hospitalization was decreased by influenza vaccination of any household member.
Among children aged 6 to 23 months, influenza immunization decreased the risk of hospitalization (OR=0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9) but this was not decreased among children aged 24 to 59 months even with recommended influenza immunization (or=1.5; 95% CI, 0.8-3.0).
“We found child, caregiver, and household factors associated with hospitalization with influenza infection among young children eligible for influenza vaccination (ie, 6 months of age and older),” the researchers wrote. “Our findings that chronic illnesses, young maternal age, poverty, household smoking, and lack of household member influenza vaccination increase the risk of an influenza hospitalization may help providers to identify young children at greatest risk for poor outcomes from influenza illness, including those for whom early interventions such as treatment with influenza antivirals is of paramount importance.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of disclosures.
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