Original scientific paper
Burden of hospitalizations for pandemic influenza in Slovenia
Maja Sočan
; National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Aim To analyze the 2009/2010 epidemiological data of patients hospitalized for confirmed pandemic influenza in
Slovenia.
Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of health
statistical data collected in an electronic data set Diagnosis-related Group system. Data on age, sex, primary and
secondary diagnoses, duration of hospital stay, admission
to the intensive care unit, disease outcome, and the week
of the admission to the hospital were extracted for patients
diagnosed with confirmed influenza virus infection.
Results A total of 748 (hospitalization rate 37.4/100,000)
patients diagnosed with confirmed influenza virus infection were admitted to 19 public hospitals and 7 private
acute care providers during the period from September
28, 2009 to April 11, 2010. The highest admission rate was
recorded for mid-November 2009. Out of 748 hospitalized
patients, 411 (55%) were children younger than 15 years.
Influenza was coded as the primary diagnosis in 536 patients. In 35% of the patients, influenza caused viral pneumonia. Fewer than one third of patients (28%) had a preexisting chronic disease and/or condition predisposing
them to complicated or adverse outcomes of influenza,
most frequently chronic lung diseases, mainly asthma. A
median hospital stay was 2 days for children and 5 days
for adult patients. Longer hospitalization was required in
patients who had a secondary diagnosis of influenza. Older male individuals suffering from pneumonia and chronic
diseases were overrepresented among cases admitted to
the intensive care units.
Conclusions The epidemiological data extracted from the
Diagnosis-related Group system in Slovenia were comparable with the data on pandemic patients published elsewhere.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
71426
URI
Publication date:
15.4.2011.
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