Abstract
Influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance is usually performed using outpatient data, and information on the surveillance of patients hospitalised for ILI, which is critical for the complete assessment of the influenza burden, is lacking. In this prospective active surveillance study, patients with community-acquired ILI hospitalised for at least 24 hours in the Emergency Room (ER) of Gazi University Hospital were identified according to the ICD-10 codes at hospital admission through active surveillance of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 influenza seasons. The presence of influenza and other respiratory viruses was analysed in the nasopharyngeal or pharyngeal specimens by real-time polymerase chain reaction. 351 patients admitted to emergency room with certain ICD-10 codes were assessed, and 111 patients with ILI were included in the study. We detected 15 influenza and 23 other respiratory viruses in 33 of the 111 patients. More than one virus was detected in 5 patients. No virus was detected in a majority of the patients with ILI. The sensitivity of hospital admission/discharge ICD-10 codes used in the study to detect real influenza cases was low. Patients with influenza were admitted to the hospital more frequently with high fever symptoms compared with patients with influenza virus-negative and other respiratory virus-positive (p < 0.05). This study revealed that non-influenza respiratory viruses were a major contributor to ILI. Patients admitted with fever during the influenza seasons should be evaluated for influenza virus infection, and the use of diagnostic codes in surveillance studies can lead to incorrect results.
Highlights
Influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance is usually performed using outpatient data, and information on the surveillance of patients hospitalised for ILI, which is critical for the complete assessment of the influenza burden, is lacking
A total of 351 patients with hospital admission ICD10 codes included in the present study were screened during the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 influenza seasons, and 177 patients were excluded from the study for the following reasons: < 24 hours of follow-up in the Emergency Room (ER) (n = 73), inability to communicate (n = 7), nonresidence status (n = 3), institutionalised patients (n = 7), hospitalisation in the last 30 days (n = 71) and no consent (n = 16)
The diagnostic codes used in influenza surveillance are less likely to detect actual influenza cases, and studies evaluating the influenza burden using diagnostic codes might lead to false results
Summary
Influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance is usually performed using outpatient data, and information on the surveillance of patients hospitalised for ILI, which is critical for the complete assessment of the influenza burden, is lacking. Methodology: In this prospective active surveillance study, patients with community-acquired ILI hospitalised for at least 24 hours in the Emergency Room (ER) of Gazi University Hospital were identified according to the ICD-10 codes at hospital admission through active surveillance of the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 influenza seasons. Results: 351 patients admitted to emergency room with certain ICD-10 codes were assessed, and 111 patients with ILI were included in the study. We detected 15 influenza and 23 other respiratory viruses in 33 of the 111 patients. The sensitivity of hospital admission/discharge ICD-10 codes used in the study to detect real influenza cases was low. Patients admitted with fever during the influenza seasons should be evaluated for influenza virus infection, and the use of diagnostic codes in surveillance studies can lead to incorrect results. In-patient surveillance is crucial for the complete assessment of influenza burden and for the identification of causative strains in patients with a severe clinical course
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
