The characteristics of influenza-like illness management in Japan

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to make a quantitative assessment of the management of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in Japanese healthcare settings. METHODS: We analysed participants’ healthcare-seeking behaviour and physicians’ practice in January 2019 using an online survey of 200 households in Japan. Quality of life score, quality-adjusted life years lost, the duration of symptoms, and the duration of absence from work were compared between the influenza ILI group and the non-influenza ILI group with one-to-one propensity score matching. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation. RESULTS: In total, 261 of the 600 (43.5%) participants had at least one episode of influenza-like illness during January 2019. Of these, 194 (75.5%) visited healthcare facilities, 167 (86.1%) within 2 days of onset of symptoms. A total of 169 out of 191 (88.5%) received a rapid influenza diagnostic test and 101 were diagnosed with influenza, of whom 95.0% were treated with antivirals. The median quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) lost was 0.0055 (interquartile range, IQR 0.0040–0.0072) and median absence from work for a single episode of influenza-like illness was 2 days (IQR 1–5 days). Albeit QALYs lost per episode was not different between two groups, the influenza ILI group showed longer duration of absence from work (5 days, IQR 4–6 days) than the non-influenza ILI group (2 days, IQR 1–3 days). CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, most people with influenza-like illnesses visit healthcare facilities soon after symptoms first occur and receive a diagnostic test. Those with influenza are usually treated with antivirals. Absence from work was longer for influenza than other similar illnesses.