Just Over Half of Children Hospitalized With Flu Receive Antivirals
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2024 -- Just over half of children hospitalized with influenza receive antivirals, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
James W. Antoon, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues conducted active surveillance of children presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms from Dec. 1, 2016, to March 31, 2020, at seven pediatric medical centers to examine the frequency of and factors associated with antiviral receipt among hospitalized children. Data were included for 1,213 children with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
The researchers found that 53.8 percent of children received an antiviral. About 63.0 percent of children received clinical influenza testing; 67.4 percent of those with clinical testing received an antiviral. Hematologic disorders, oncologic/immunocompromising disorders, prehospitalization antiviral receipt, clinical influenza testing, and intensive care unit admission were factors associated with higher odds of antiviral receipt (adjusted odds ratios, 1.76, 2.41, 2.34, 3.07, and 1.53, respectively). The odds of antiviral treatment receipt were lower in association with symptom duration longer than two days (adjusted odds ratio, 0.40). There was variation seen in antiviral receipt by site, with a fivefold difference observed across sites.
"Future studies could focus on identifying barriers to treatment and improving clinical influenza testing, providing antiviral treatment for children with influenza-associated hospitalizations with >2 days of symptoms, and standardizing care both within and across institutions," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
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