Clinical analysis of 191 cases of influenza A (H1N1)

Abstract

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors of influenza A (H1N1) patients,which would benefit the clinical practices for diagnosis and treatment of influenza A (H1N1) in the future. Methods The clinical information of 191 cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza A (H1N1) in our hospital from June to November 2009 were reviewed, and the clinical characteristics, risk factors, treatment and clinical course of influenza A (H1N1) patients were analyzed. Results In 191 influenza A (H1N1) patients, the majority presented mildly with fever(100%) and(or) cough(87.4%), a very small number of patients had catarrhal symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms. 21 cases had underlying diseases. In 16 severe cases, 6 patients were admited to intensive care unit(ICU). The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) increasing were positively correlated with the hospitalization days and disease severity(r=0.462, P＜0.01). Patients with abnormal changes on chest X-ray had significantly longer hospitalization time and higher CRP level(t=2.545, t=4.440, P＜0.05), and needed to admit to ICU for further treatment. 60 cases were given oseltamivir for antiviral therapy, 176 patients were given traditional Chinese medicine for dialectical therapy, and both showed good efficacy. Conclusions CRP level and the chest X-ray examination may be useful in the early detection of severe influenza A (H1N1) patients. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of influenza A (H1N1) is proved to have a certain effect, especially for reducing cough, headache, sore throat symptoms. Key words: Influenza A virus, H1N1 subtype; Clinical characteristics; Risk factors; C-reactive protein