Table 1.
Sociodemographic characteristics, exposures, and clinical symptoms among patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) in southern Sri Lanka, March 2013–October 2014
| Characteristic | First phase, N = 316 | Second phase, N = 241 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 14.2 (6.6–39.6) | 11.3 (5.3–29.5) | 0.009 |
| Male | 175 (55.4%) | 120 (49.8%) | 0.20 |
| Distance to THK (km) | 5 (3–15) | 10 (4–20) | 0.02 |
| Sick contact in past month | 137 (43.5%) | 109 (46.2%) | 0.55 |
| Travel in past month | 54 (17.1%) | 33 (13.8%) | 0.29 |
| Prior medical visit for same illness | 78 (24.8%) | 79 (33.3%) | 0.04 |
| Prior antibiotic use for same illness—yes/unsure | 70 (22.2%) | 44 (18.3%) | 0.29 |
| Number of days fever | 2 (1–3) | 2 (2–4) | < 0.001 |
| Number of days cough | 2 (1–3) | 3 (2–4) | < 0.001 |
| Rhinitis/congestion | 188 (59.5%) | 222 (92.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Sore throat | 159 (50.3%) | 95 (39.4%) | 0.01 |
| Shortness of breath | 84 (26.6%) | 4 (1.7%) | < 0.001 |
| Pain with breathing | 54 (17.1%) | 5 (2.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Anorexia | 244 (77.2%) | 109 (45.2%) | < 0.001 |
| Vomiting | 65 (20.6%) | 35 (14.5%) | 0.08 |
| Abdominal pain | 22 (7.0%) | 16 (6.6%) | 1.00 |
| Headache | 251 (79.4%) | 161 (66.8%) | 0.001 |
| Fatigue | 259 (82.0%) | 130 (53.9%) | < 0.001 |
| Arthralgias | 226 (71.5%) | 99 (41.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Myalgias | 232 (73.4%) | 97 (40.3%) | < 0.001 |
THK = Teaching Hospital Karapitiya.
Bold indicates P values significant at less than 0.05. Characteristics between the two phases of the study are compared using Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the Kruskall–Wallis test for continuous variables.