Patients Hospitalized with pH1N1 Influenza in an Academic Community Medical Center

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• The 2009 novel pandemic influenza (pH1N1) posed global healthcare challenges.
• An academic medical center in Philadelphia identified its first pH1N1 case in September 2009.
• The study aimed to evaluate the impact of pH1N1 on hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized patients with pH1N1 influenza.
• To identify risk factors and outcomes associated with pH1N1 infection in a specific patient population.
• To inform public health strategies and vaccination efforts.

Main Methods:

• Prospective collection of clinical and epidemiological data from 29 hospitalized patients diagnosed with influenza (October-November 2009).
• Data acquisition through direct patient care and medical chart review.
• Analysis of symptoms, pre-existing conditions, treatments, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Common symptoms included fever, hypoxia, cough, myalgias, and diarrhea, with laboratory findings of leukocytosis and neutrophilia.
• Pre-existing conditions such as asthma, pregnancy, immunosuppression, and sickle cell disease were noted.
• A specific cluster of patients presented with asthma, obesity, female gender, and African-American race; six patients required ICU admission, and one patient died.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalized patients with novel pH1N1 influenza exhibited characteristics consistent with broader population data.
• The majority of affected patients were women, and no deaths were directly attributed to influenza complications.
• A distinct patient group with a tetrad of asthma, obesity, female gender, and African-American race was identified, suggesting a need for targeted pH1N1 vaccination strategies.