Table I.
Demographic Characteristics of Patients Suffering From Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (ARI) Diagnosed at the NHLS Laboratory in 2006 and 2007
| All ARI patientsa | Patients screened by multiplex PCRb | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | n = 1,702 | n = 627 (36.8%) |
| Hospitalized | 1,086 (63.8%) | 399 (63.6%) |
| Outpatients | 616 (36.2%) | 228 (36.4%) |
| Age | ||
| Mean | 1 year 7 months | 1 year 2 months |
| Median | 4 months | 3 months |
| Range | 0 days to 77 years | 0–77 years |
| <5 years old (%) | 93.1% | 97.3% |
| Sex (% males) | 53.0% | 52.8% |
| HIV Status | ||
| HIV negative | 145 (8.5%) | 80 (12.8%) |
| HIV sero‐positivec | 548 (32.2%) | 383 (61.1%) |
| Unknown | 1,009 (59.3%) | 164 (26.2%) |
a
Include all patients suffering from acute respiratory tract infections of which respiratory samples were submitted for routine diagnosis of respiratory viruses by antigen detection methods.
b
Include patients suffering from acute respiratory tract infections of which respiratory samples were randomly selected throughout each year to screen with the multiplex real‐time RT‐PCR assay.
c
Both HIV sero‐positive (exposed) and DNA PCR positive patients (infected) are included.