Abstract
Background
In developing countries, it may be easier to use the reasons why patients come to
the emergency room (ER) instead of sentinel practices to identify influenza epidemics.
Methods
We studied the reasons why adult patients present to the ER in order to attempt to
predict increased hospital activity as a result of influenza. The daily frequency
of presenting symptoms during the 30 days of maximal influenza activity was compared
to the other days of the study period (335 days).
Results
During the influenza period, more patients presented with fever, syncope or near syncope,
cough, asthma attack, and paralysis than on the days outside of this period. On 50%
of the days, eight or more patients presented with fever, an 8.36 (95% CI=4.6–15.19) higher frequency than during the rest of the year. During the subsequent
year, days with excess presentations by patients with a principal complaint of fever
predicted increased hospital activity due to influenza with no false-positive periods.
Conclusions
We conclude that an increase in the number of patients presenting to the ER complaining
of fever can identify increased hospital influenza activity.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 20, 2008
Accepted:
April 23,
2007
Received in revised form:
April 23,
2007
Received:
January 25,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
