Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with 2009 Novel Influenza A Infection

Lee, Heun Ji; Min, Sung Ju; Choi, Jang Hwan; Kang, Eun Kyeong

Abstract

PURPOSE
Novel influenza H1N1 A virus developed pandemic infection, and patients requiring hospitalization have rapidly increased because of severe clinical symptoms and signs. We describe the clinical features of hospitalized pediatric patients with novel influenza virus infection.
METHODS
We reviewed the medical charts of 128 pediatric patients under the age of 16 who were hospitalized in Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital between September 2009 and February 2010. We compared the clinical features of the pneumonia and non-pneumonia groups of patients, and analyzed clinical difference according to M. pneumoniae coinfection and severity of pneumonia.
RESULTS
The male to female sex ratio of the subjects was 2.2:1, and the average age was 6.2 years. Sixty-five patients (50.8%) had pneumonia and their average age was 6.7 years. Variables including duration of admission, total WBC counts, neutrophil percentage and CRP were significantly different between the 2 groups, however, the other variables were not. The number of patients diagnosed with severe pneumonia was 20 (30.8%). M. pneumoniae coinfection occurred in 24.6% of patients in the pneumonia group, however, it did not influence the severity of pneumonia. Underlying asthma was more significantly associated with severe pneumonia than with mild pneumonia. There was no death case.
CONCLUSION
In this study, 2009 novel influenza infection was more prevalent in school-age boys. M. pneumoniae coinfection occurred frequently, however, it did not seem to influence disease severity. Patients with underlying asthma tend to develop severe pneumonia more frequently.