Evaluation of patients with suspected influenza in the 2016 winter season

Abstract

Influenza, caused by influenza viruses, has a wide range from a mild form of spontaneously regressing disease table to a severe disease table showing a fatal pandemic course. In this study, we aimed to analyse the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients who applied to Sivas Numune Hospital in the winter season of 2016 with the influenza-suspect and for whom naso-pharyngeal swab samples were taken. Nineteen of the 34 patients included in the study were male and 15 were female. The average age was 43.9±16.5 (min17- max74) years. Comorbid disease was present in 20 (57.1%) of the patients. There was infiltration in the chest radiography of 20 (57.1%) of the patients. The average white blood cell counts of the patients were 9.645±7.446 (103 μL), the average C-reactive protein was 4.6±4.7 (mg/dL), and the average creatine kinase was 579±1.725 (μL). In the nasopharyngeal swab results, H1N1 was determined in nine (26.4%) patients, H3N2 in seven (20.5%) patients, and influenza B in three (8.8%) patients. Eight patients died. Mortality was found to be high in patients with comorbidity (n=8, p = 0.008). It was statistically determined that anomaly in white blood cell count (p = 0.003), neutrophil (p = 0.002), creatinine (p = 0.02), AST (p = 0.001) and ALT (p = 0.04) counts, comorbidity status (p = 0.02) and infiltration in the chest radiography (p = 0.02) had an active role in admission of patients to the intensive care unit. As a result, close follow-up with a multidisciplinary approach by physicians is appropriate for the patients in the intensive care unit who have a poor general condition, who have impaired laboratory pa-rameters, and whose chest radiography indicates an infiltration. Influenza follows a more severe course in the presence of comorbid diseases. There-fore, the application of a seasonal influenza vaccine has great importance in patients with comorbidity.

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