TABLE 1.
Clinical characteristics of RSV and influenza patients in the prospective substudy in 2018–2020
| Characteristics | RSV patients | Influenza patients | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | ||
| Total | 31 | 100 | 106 | 100 | |
| Sex | |||||
| Female | 18 | 58 | 51 | 48 | 0.415 |
| Male | 13 | 42 | 55 | 52 | |
| Age (in years) | |||||
| Median (IQR) [range] | 73 (64–82) [47–89] | N/A | 67 (48–75) [18–92] | N/A | 0.014 |
| 18–64 | 9 | 29 | 47 | 44 | 0.149 |
| 65 or over | 22 | 71 | 59 | 56 | |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Anemia | 2 | 6 | 11/105 | 10 | 0.732 |
| Cancer | 11 | 35 | 20 | 19 | 0.085 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 12 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 0.671 |
| Diabetes | 12 | 39 | 29 | 27 | 0.266 |
| Hypertension | 22 | 71 | 60 | 57 | 0.211 |
| Immunosuppression | 7 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 0.139 |
| Kidney disease | 8 | 26 | 9 | 8 | 0.025 |
| Liver cirrhosis or failure | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 |
| Neurological disease | 2 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 0.736 |
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 30) | 11 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 1.000 |
| Pulmonary disease (incl. sleep apnea) | 16 | 52 | 49/104 | 47 | 0.687 |
| Rheumatic disease | 4 | 13 | 8/105 | 8 | 0.469 |
| Stroke | 5 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 0.329 |
| No underlying conditions | 1 | 3 | 12/105 | 11 | 0.297 |
| McCabe score | |||||
| 1 | 18 | 58 | 79 | 75 | 0.114 |
| 2 or 3 | 13 | 42 | 27 | 25 | |
| Smoking | |||||
| Never | 9 | 29 | 49 | 46 | 0.161 |
| Ex smoker | 16 | 52 | 32 | 30 | |
| Current smoker | 6 | 19 | 25 | 24 | |
| Hospitalized in last 12 months | |||||
| Yes | 10 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 0.653 |
| Influenza vaccination (current season) | |||||
| Yes, season 2018–2019 | 6 | 55 | 42 | 58 | 1.000 |
| Yes, season 2019–2020 | 12 | 60 | 15 | 45 | 0.398 |
| Symptom onset to hospitalization | |||||
| Symptom day at hospitalization, median (IQR) [range] | 4 (3–5) [1–8] | N/A | 3 (2–4) [1–8] | N/A | 0.006 |
| 0–3 days | 20 | 65 | 85 | 80 | 0.091 |
| 4–7 days | 11 | 35 | 21 | 20 | |
| Reported symptoms | |||||
| Fever ≥ 38 | 23 | 74 | 96 | 91 | 0.031 |
| Feverishness (37.0–37.9) | 6 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0.199 |
| Malaise | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0.220 |
| Headache | 13 | 42 | 58/104 | 56 | 0.220 |
| Myalgia | 13 | 42 | 51/104 | 49 | 0.543 |
| Deterioration of general condition | 27 | 87 | 100 | 94 | 0.233 |
| Cough | 31 | 100 | 97 | 92 | 0.209 |
| Sore throat | 17 | 55 | 48/105 | 46 | 0.417 |
| Dyspnea | 22 | 71 | 80 | 75 | 0.643 |
| Sudden onset | 7 | 23 | 62/102 | 61 | <0.001 |
| Outcomes during hospitalization | |||||
| Duration of hospitalization at HUS, median (IQR) [range] | 4 (3–6) [1–22] | N/A | 3 (2–6) [1–46] | N/A | 0.510 |
| Admission to close observation | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0.684 |
| Admission to ICU | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0.337 |
| Death | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Clinical recognition | |||||
| Only detected from study sample a | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0.016 |
| Virus specific ICD‐10 code in medical record b | 16 | 52 | 90 | 85 | <0.001 |
| Outcome at 30 days from admission | |||||
| Discharged | 31 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 0.745 |
| Still hospitalized at tertiary care hospital | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Hospitalized at secondary care hospital | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| Dead | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Outcome at 3 months from admission | |||||
| Readmitted at least once | 4 | 13 | 20 | 19 | 0.594 |
| Dead | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.128 |
Note: Data are presented as No. and % or as medians with interquartile ranges (IQRs). If data are missing, the proportion of patients with available information is marked as the denominator.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; HUS, HUS Helsinki University Hospital; ICU, intensive care unit; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus.
a
Sample obtained by the study nurse, when no diagnostic sample was taken for clinical use.
b
J09–J11 for influenza, J12.1 or J20.5 for RSV.