[New influenza virus (H1N1) related pneumonia with fatal outcome]

The most serious complication of novel influenza virus (H1N1) infections is the progressive respiratory insufficiency caused by diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) which can be overinfected by opportunistic pathogens. Clinically manifest acute respiratory distress syndrome leads to death in the most severe forms of the disease. However, despite the H1N1 positivity determined by RT-PCR, signs of virus pneumonia could not be demonstrated in several cases belonging to the high-risk patient group, therefore, the role of the virus infection in the course of the disease remained unclear. In this paper, a case with a complicated, partially organized hemorrhagic pneumonia and DAD is presented in a patient with H1N1 virus positivity, which can be referred as a classical pulmonary change. In order to obtain correct statistical data on virus related mortality, only unambiguous cases with clear virus associated morphological changes should be considered.