| Literature DB >> 33123614 |
Benjamin J Smith1, David J Price2,3, Douglas Johnson1,3,4, Bruce Garbutt5, Michelle Thompson6, Louis B Irving3,6, Mark Putland5, Steven Y C Tong1,2.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Infectious Diseases Society of America influenza guidelines no longer require fever as part of their influenza case definition in patients requiring hospitalization. However, the impact of fever or lack of fever on clinical decision-making and patient outcomes has not been studied.Entities:
Keywords: diagnosis; fever; influenza; influenza-like illness
Year: 2020 PMID: 33123614 PMCID: PMC7580166 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa268
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Open Forum Infect Dis ISSN: 2328-8957 Impact factor: 3.835
Figure 1. Inclusion and exclusion of the patient cohort. A, Consort diagram. B, Number of patients included and excluded in each month during the study period (January 2016—June 2019) according to influenza subtype and reason for exclusion. Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
Number (Percentage) of Hospitalized Influenza Patients With and Without Fever According to Virus Type, Age, Sex, Comorbid Conditions, and Features of Clinical Presentation
| Total | Fever | No Fever |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virus | ||||
| Influenza A | 457 | 301 (65.9) | 156 (34.1) | <.001 |
| Influenza B | 121 | 58 (47.9) | 63 (52.1) | |
| Age | ||||
| Age <65 y | 275 | 206 (74.9) | 69 (25.1) | <.001 |
| Age 65–80 y | 157 | 81 (51.6) | 76 (48.4) | |
| Age >80 y | 146 | 72 (49.3) | 74 (50.7) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 284 | 189 (66.5) | 95 (33.5) | .038 |
| Female | 294 | 170 (57.8) | 124 (42.2) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index score | ||||
| CCI 0 | 337 | 231 (68.5) | 106 (31.5) | <.001 |
| CCI 1–2 | 187 | 103 (55.1) | 84 (44.9) | |
| CCI >2 | 54 | 25 (46.3) | 29 (53.7) | |
| Comorbiditiesa | ||||
| Respiratory disease | 181 | 91 (50.3) | 90 (49.7) | <.001 |
| Diabetes | 151 | 86 (57.0) | 65 (43.0) | .155 |
| Malignancy | 58 | 31 (53.4) | 27 (46.6) | .197 |
| Liver disease | 22 | 13 (59.1) | 9 (40.9) | .824 |
| Cardiac disease | 181 | 100 (55.2) | 81 (44.8) | .028 |
| Neurological disease | 111 | 61 (55.0) | 50 (45.0) | .105 |
| Renal disease | 75 | 39 (52.0) | 36 (48.0) | .071 |
| Immunosuppression | 94 | 55 (58.5) | 39 (41.5) | .503 |
| Pregnant | 5 | 5 (100) | 0 (0) | .162 |
| Current smoker | 66 | 42 (63.6) | 24 (36.4) | .891 |
| Risk factors for complications | 407 | 234 (57.5) | 173 (42.5) | .001 |
| Presenting features | ||||
| Respiratory illness | 506 | 324 (64.0) | 182 (36.0) | .017 |
| Nonrespiratory illness | 72 | 35 (48.6) | 37 (51.4) | |
| Symptom duration 0–2 d | 224 | 162 (72.3) | 62 (27.7) | <.001 |
| Symptom duration >2 d | 354 | 197 (55.6) | 157 (44.4) | |
| Chest x-ray consolidationb | 87 | 57 (65.5) | 30 (34.5) | .555 |
Data are presented as No. (%).
Abbreviations: CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.
aComorbidities were defined as present if captured by the FluCAN standard collection instrument [8] or ICD-10 coding algorithms for Charlson Comorbidity Index score [9].
bBased on formal radiologist report of imaging.
Figure 2. Density plot of maximum temperature recorded on presentation for patients requiring hospitalization with influenza, grouped by duration of symptoms, presentation type, and presence or absence of risk factors for influenza complications. Median temperature is indicated by the dashed line. Maximum temperature is defined as the highest temperature recorded at any time while in the emergency department or, for patients transferred directly to the intensive care unit, in the first 4 hours after arrival.
Differences in Clinical Management and Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized With Influenza With and Without Fever at the Time of Arrival
| Febrile Group | Afebrile Group |
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing and diagnosis | |||
| ED stay,a median (IQR), h | 5.9 (3.8–11.2) | 5.9 (3.8–9.3) | .683 |
| Diagnostic testing in EDb | 277 (77.2) | 142 (64.8) | .002 |
| Testing delay,c median (IQR), h | 2.9 (1.3–6.1) | 3.7 (2.0–8.4) | .001 |
| ED diagnosis of influenza | 81 (22.6) | 22 (10.0) | <.001 |
| Outcomes | |||
| Length of stay, median (IQR), d | 1.9 (1.0–4.0) | 2.4 (1.3–4.5) | .015 |
| Oseltamivir treatment | 235 (65.5) | 122 (55.7) | .024 |
| Intensive care unit stayd | 28 (7.8) | 19 (8.7) | .828 |
| Organ failuree | 51 (14.2) | 40 (18.3) | .237 |
| In-hospital mortality | 2 (0.6) | 7 (3.2) | .031 |
| 30-d re-presentation | 29 (8.1) | 19 (8.7) | .922 |
Data are presented as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
aTotal time spent in the emergency department.
bRespiratory PCR testing performed before patient transfer from ED to inpatient ward.
cThe time from patient presentation to receipt of a respiratory specimen by the microbiology laboratory.
dRequirement for ICU support at any time during hospital admission.
eRespiratory failure, shock, or acute kidney injury diagnosed during hospital stay.
A, Univariate Analysis of Patient Factors Associated With Fever at the Time of Hospital Presentation With Influenza. B, Variables With P <.1 Were Subsequently Included in Multivariate Model
| A, Univariate Analysis | B, Multivariate Analysis | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR (95% CI) |
| aOR (95% CI) |
| |
| Demographics | ||||
| Age ≥65 y | 0.34 (0.24–0.49) | <.001 | 0.36 (0.23–0.54) | <.001 |
| Female sex | 0.69 (0.49–0.97) | .031 | 0.69 (0.48–0.99) | .046 |
| Comorbiditiesa | ||||
| Cardiac disease | 0.66 (0.46–0.94) | .022 | 1.11 (0.71–1.73) | .65 |
| Respiratory disease | 0.49 (0.34–0.7) | <.001 | 0.55 (0.37–0.81) | .003 |
| Neurological disease | 0.69 (0.46–1.05) | .085 | 0.99 (0.62–1.57) | .958 |
| Renal disease | 0.62 (0.38–1.01) | .055 | 0.98 (0.56–1.71) | .939 |
| Immunosuppression | 0.84 (0.53–1.31) | .432 | ||
| Liver disease | 0.88 (0.37–2.09) | .766 | ||
| Malignancy | 0.67 (0.39–1.16) | .154 | ||
| Diabetes | 0.75 (0.51–1.09) | .129 | ||
| Current smoker | 1.08 (0.63–1.83) | .786 | ||
| Presenting features | ||||
| Respiratory illness | 1.88 (1.15–3.09) | .013 | 2.25 (1.29–3.92) | .004 |
| Symptom duration ≥3 d | 0.48 (0.34–0.69) | <.001 | 0.53 (0.36–0.78) | .001 |
| Influenza B infection | 0.48 (0.32–0.72) | <.001 | 0.45 (0.29–0.70) | <.001 |
| Chest x-ray consolidationb | 1.19 (0.74–1.92) | .478 | ||
An OR <1 indicates reduced odds of having fever.
Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision; OR, odds ratio.
aComorbidities were defined as present if captured by the FluCAN standard collection instrument [8] or ICD-10 coding algorithms for Charlson Comorbidity Index scores [9].
bBased on formal radiologist imaging report.
Odds Ratios of Secondary Outcomes for Influenza Patients who Present Without Fever After Adjustment for Age (<65 Years or ≥65 Years), Sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score, Risk Factors for Influenza Complications, Immunosuppression, and Duration of Illness (<3 Days or ≥3 Days)
| Outcomes | aOR (95% CI) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic testing in EDa | 0.51 (0.34–0.76) | <.001 |
| Oseltamivir treatment | 0.51 (0.34–0.75) | <.001 |
| Intensive care unit stayb | 1.13 (0.59–2.16) | .709 |
| 30-d re-presentation | 0.97 (0.51–1.84) | .927 |
| In-hospital mortality | 6.36 (1.22–33.2) | .028 |
An OR <1 indicates less likely to have a specified outcome. Full models are included in Supplementary Tables 1–5.
Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
aRespiratory PCR testing performed before patient transfer from emergency department to inpatient ward.
bRequirement for ICU support at any time during hospital admission.