Abstract
BackgroundThe main objective of this study was to describe the patients who were hospitalised at Oslo University Hospital Aker during the first wave of pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) in Norway.MethodsClinical data on all patients hospitalised with influenza-like illness from July to the end of November 2009 were collected prospectively. Patients with confirmed H1N1 Influenza A were compared to patients with negative H1N1 tests.Results182 patients were hospitalised with suspected H1N1 Influenza A and 64 (35%) tested positive. Seventeen patients with positive tests (27%) were admitted to an intensive care unit and four patients died (6%). The H1N1 positive patients were younger, consisted of a higher proportion of non-ethnic Norwegians, had a higher heart rate on admission, and fewer had pre-existing hypertension, compared to the H1N1 negative patients. However, hypertension was the only medical condition that was significantly associated with a more serious outcome defined as ICU admission or death, with a univariate odds ratio of the composite endpoint in H1N1 positive and negative patients of 6.1 (95% CI 1.3-29.3) and 3.2 (95% CI 1.2-8.7), respectively. Chest radiography revealed pneumonia in 24/59 H1N1 positive patients. 63 of 64 H1N1 positive patients received oseltamivir.ConclusionsThe extra burden of hospitalisations was relatively small and we managed to admit all the patients with suspected H1N1 influenza without opening new pandemic isolation wards. The morbidity and mortality were similar to reports from comparable countries. Established hypertension was associated with more severe morbidity and patients with hypertension should be considered candidates for vaccination programs in future pandemics.
Highlights
The main objective of this study was to describe the patients who were hospitalised at Oslo University Hospital Aker during the first wave of pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) in Norway
The aim of the study was to describe underlying medical conditions, clinical features, and outcome of the first 2009 H1N1 Influenza A patients at Oslo University Hospital Aker (OUHA) and to compare these patients with the patients admitted with suspected 2009 H1N1 Influenza A, but who tested negative for Influenza A
Oslo University Hospital Aker (OUHA) OUHA serves an area of 180 000 inhabitants. 73 000 of these live in two different districts of Oslo with approximately 40% non-ethnic Norwegians
Summary
The main objective of this study was to describe the patients who were hospitalised at Oslo University Hospital Aker during the first wave of pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) in Norway. After the first cases of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza A were confirmed during week 30 in 2009, The Norwegian Ministry of Health asked the Norwegian hospitals and primary care facilities to activate their plans to cope with an expected massive wave of Influenza A patients [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Concerns were raised that our health care facilities were not equipped or prepared to admit all the expected patients. The need for isolates, ventilators, antivirals and antibiotics were evaluated, and we feared that lack of equipment and personnel would cause extra strain on health care institutions. We feared that secondary cases among the personnel would further increase the workload and compromise care
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