Table 2.
Comparison of characteristics of ward versus pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients
| Ward patients | PICU patients | P* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 466 | n = 51 | ||
| Number (%) | Number (%) | ||
| Male sex | 283 (60·7) | 29 (56·9) | 0·59 |
| Mean age (years) | 4·7 ± 3·9 | 4·4 ± 3·7 | 0·6 |
| Clinical signs and symptoms | |||
| Fever | 452 (97·2) | 48 (94·1) | 0·23 |
| Upper respiratory tract manifestations | |||
| Cough | 413 (88·8) | 42 (82·4%) | 0·17 |
| Rhinorrhea | 335 (72) | 34 (69·4) | 0·69 |
| Odynophagia | 57 (12·4) | 5 (10·9) | 0·76 |
| Breathing difficulty | 219 (47·2) | 39 (78) | <0·001 |
| General symptoms | |||
| Headache | 53 (11·6) | 1 (2·2) | 0·07 |
| Myalgias | 42 (9·2) | 1 (2·2) | 0·16 |
| Irritability/malaise | 178 (38·4) | 18 (38·3) | 0·98 |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | |||
| Vomiting | 136 (29·4) | 8 (16·3) | 0·05 |
| Diarrhea | 67 (14·4) | 2 (4·1) | 0·04 |
| Mean time from symptom onset to hospital admission (days) | 4·1 ± 10·7 | 2·5 ± 1·7 | 0·3 |
| Abnormal chest radiograph | 67% | 88% | <0·01 |
| Blood test results | |||
| White blood cell count (cells/mm3) | 9994 ± 5988 | 9430 ± 6537 | 0·57 |
| Lymphocytes (cells/mm3) | 2702 ± 2868 | 1590 ± 1298 | <0·001 |
| Neutrophils (cells/mm3) | 6026 ± 4970 | 6804 ± 5981 | 0·41 |
| C‐reactive protein (mg/l) | 34·3 ± 52·7 | 45 ± 68·6 | 0·31 |
| Treatment | |||
| Oseltamivir | 346 (74·9) | 43 (86) | 0·08 |
| Antibiotics | 223 (49·2) | 41 (80·4) | <0·0001 |
| Bronchodilators | 215 (46·6) | 29 (58) | 0·12 |
| Oxygen supplementation | 173 (37·7) | 48 (94·1) | <0·0001 |
| Intravenous fluid therapy | 161 (35·2) | 43 (87·8) | <0·0001 |
| Underlying health conditions | |||
| Any | 113 (24·2) | 29 (56·9) | <0·001 |
| Moderate or severe persistent asthma | 30 (6·4) | 5 (9·8) | 0·36 |
| Other chronic lung disorders (e.g. cystic fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, obliterant bronchiolitis) | 15 (3·2) | 4 (7·8) | 0·11 |
| Immunosuppression (because of underlying disease and/or therapy) or immunodeficiency | 28 (6) | 8 (15·7) | <0·01 |
| Neurological or neuromuscular disorders | 22 (4·7) | 8 (15·7) | <0·01 |
| Heart disease | 23 (4·9) | 4 (7·8) | 0·33 |
| Complications | |||
| Any | 85 (18·2) | 47 (92·2) | <0·0001 |
| Confirmed or suspected bacterial pneumonia | 52 (11·1) | 20 (39·2) | <0·0001 |
Statistically significant differences are shown in bold.