2011 Volume 50 Issue 11 Pages 1163-1167
Objective Although the rates of reported symptoms of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus infection are well studied, the course of progression of these symptoms is not clear. In this study, we carefully reviewed the progress of each patient after hospitalization and clarified the clinical course of the symptoms.
Methods We retrospectively examined the clinical data of 16 consecutive patients who had been hospitalized during the early stages of an influenza epidemic and observed the clinical progression of their symptoms.
Results Each symptom had a different time of onset and progression pattern. In roughly one-third of our patients, symptoms appeared before the onset of high fever. Acute respiratory symptoms tended to last longer than other symptoms; similarly, sore throat and cough lasted longer than rhinorrhea. The SpO2 of the patients with influenza showed a declining trend. The point at which minimum SpO2 levels were noted was approximately 1.5 days after onset of fever.
Conclusion In this H1N1 epidemic, patients typically tended to experience general fatigue, sore throat, and cough before the onset of fever, with sore throat and cough lasting longer than the other symptoms. Most patients showed decreased SpO2 levels at -1.5 days after onset of fever.
