April 10, 2013
More research needed to measure impact of co-infections on hospital admission
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A study at Rhode Island Hospital has found that despite complications, patients co-infected with the pandemic 2009-2010 influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) and a second respiratory virus were not associated with worse outcomes or admission to the hospital's intensive care unit. The study is published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
"There is scant data in the literature regarding the incidence and impact of simultaneous infection by two respiratory viruses, particularly in adults," said senior investigator Leonard Mermel, D.O., medical director of the department of epidemiology and infection control at Rhode Island Hospital. "We compared 617 people hospitalized with respiratory infection due to a single virus to 49 people hospitalized with such infections due to two viruses (co-infection). Those with viral co-infection were younger, more often had fever/chills and shortness o..
http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/85069/RI_Hospital_Co-infections_not_associated_with_worse_outcomes_during_H1N1_pandemic.html?
