TABLE 2.
Reported signs, median length of symptoms and duration of illness
| Variable | All cases (N = 357) |
Serologically tested cases (n = 72) |
|||||||
| Confirmed H1N1 (n = 34) |
Negative H1N1 (n = 38) |
||||||||
| N | % | Symptom length (days) | n | % | Symptom length (days) | n | % | Symptoms length (days) | |
| Fever and/or feverishnessa | 336 | 94 | – | 33 | 97 | – | 37 | 97 | – |
| Fatigue | 336 | 94 | 6 | 32 | 94 | 7 | 37 | 97 | 7 |
| Headache | 283 | 79 | 4 | 26 | 76 | 4 | 31 | 82 | 5 |
| Cough | 274 | 77 | 8 | 28 | 82 | 13 | 26 | 68 | 7 |
| Myalgia/athralgia | 272 | 76 | 4 | 25 | 74 | 4 | 32 | 84 | 6 |
| Sore throat | 236 | 66 | 5 | 19 | 56 | 5 | 29 | 76 | 7 |
| Elevated temperature (>38°C) | 219 | 61 | 3 | 19 | 56 | 3 | 17 | 45 | 3 |
| Feverishness | 217 | 61 | 4 | 23 | 68 | 3 | 29 | 76 | 4 |
| Rhinitis | 174 | 49 | 5 | 15 | 44 | 7 | 19 | 50 | 4 |
| Dyspnoea | 170 | 48 | 5 | 14 | 41 | 5 | 21 | 55 | 7 |
| GI-symptomsb | 157 | 44 | 2 | 15 | 44 | 2 | 16 | 42 | 3 |
| Other serious infection or symptoms | 50 | 14 | NA | 6 | 18 | NA | 6 | 16 | NA |
| Pneumonia | 12 | 3 | NA | 2 | 6 | NA | 1 | 3 | NA |
| Number of illness days | |||||||||
| Mean (range) | 8 | (1–31) | 9 | (3–23) | 9 | (3–21) | |||
| Median | 7 | 9 | 7 | ||||||
Number (n) and proportion of patients. NA, not applicable. Variable not included in questionnaire. Pearson chi-square test was conducted to check for differences in symptoms between H1N1 confirmed and negative cases; all were statistically non-significant.
a
Reported measured temperature >38°C and/or subjective feeling of fever/chills. Median length not calculated.
b
GI symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, stomach pain or other complains related to GI system.