Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 Influenza in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged and spread globally in the spring of 2009. We describe the clinical features of the patients who were hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 influenza July 2009 to June 2010 in a tertiary care hospital in Khamis Mushyt, Saudi Arabia. We analyzed the clinical and laboratory variables in order to determine predictors of poor outcome. METHODS: We performed a prospective study in all patients who were hospitalized for at least 48 hours and with a positive test for 2009 H1N1 virus through RT-PCR(real time polymerase chain reaction). Their epidemiological, clinical, biochemical characteristics were collected and the hospital course of the patients with eventual outcome (discharge or death) was observed. We applied a logistic regression analysis to determine the best predictor of death. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients (15 males) were adults and 65 were pediatrics (< 12 years of age) (19 males). The common presenting signs and/or symptoms associated with the disease was fever >38.5 ºC (n=85; 72.6%), dry cough (n=81; 69.2%), dyspnea (n=40; 34.5%), tachycardia (n=96; 83.5%) and saturation less than 90% in room air on pulse oximetry (n=65; 55.6%). The complications included pneumonia (40.2 %), intensive care unit admission (19.2%) and death (16.7%). CONCLUSIONS: We found that hypoxia at admission was the most important predictive factor of poor outcome (death) with area under curve of 0.768.