454 Symptoms and Complications of Influenza a in the Elderly Upon arrival at the Hospital Copy Right@ Dalibor Sedláček This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License AJBSR.MS.ID.002379. American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research www.biomedgrid.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISSN: 2642-1747 Review Article Robin Šín 1 , Dalibor Sedláček 1 *, Patrik Christian Cmorej 2 and Miroslav Kubiska 1 1 Department of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Charles University, Czech Republic 2 Faculty of Health Studies, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústínad Labem, Czech Republic *Corresponding author: Dalibor Sedláček, Department of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Faculty Hospital Pilsen, Czech Republic. To Cite This Article: Robin Š, Dalibor S, Patrik Christian C, Miroslav K. Symptoms and Complications of Influenza a in the Elderly Upon arrival at the Hospital. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2022 17(4) AJBSR.MS.ID.002379, DOI: 10.34297/AJBSR.2022.17.002379 Received: November 28, 2022; Published: December 13, 2022 Introduction Influenza is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses A and B, which belong to the family of orthomyxoviruses. Viruses belong to the genus of influenza viruses. The rarer influenza virus C then forms a completely separate special genus. Influenza A and B viruses are responsible for epidemics each year, with approximately 3–5 million serious cases and about 300,000 deaths worldwide [1]. The European Centre for Disease Control estimates that influenza causes more than 38,000 deaths in Europe every year [2]. Mortality is not significantly different when affected by influenza A and B. It is approximately 16% for the former and about 10% for the latter [3]. Most patients die from complications of influenza. A more common complication of influenza is bacterial pneumonia. Bronchitis and sinusitis can also occur in the airway area. Dangerous complications of influenza can also concern the heart, mainly myocarditis and pericarditis. Up to 90% of pericarditis in developed countries are idiopathic, which could be related to a viral disease [4]. Normally, exacerbations of various chronic diseases (COPD, bronchial asthma, chronic heart failure and others) can be observed as a complication. Material and Methods A retrospective analysis of patient data was performed. The monitored group consisted of all patients over 65 years of age, who were diagnosed with influenza in the period between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 at all workplaces of the University Hospital in Pilsen on the basis of anamnesis, clinical picture and subsequent virological examination. Retrospectively, data from the electronic medical records of patients in the WinMedicalc program (Medicalc Software, s. r. o., Plzeň, Czech Republic) were obtained. We monitored the anamnesis and nature of the difficulties, symptoms at the initial examination, laboratory results, results of microbiological examinations, complications and the final condition. We also noted flu vaccination information. Prior to processing, data anonymization was carried out. The data was processed in the Excel 2016 spreadsheet editor (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, USA). Statistical processing was carried out using the PROGRAM STATISTICA (StatSoft CR, s. r. o., Prague, Czech Republic). The local ethics committee was informed prior to the start of data collection Abstract Influenza A and B viruses cause epidemics every year, with approximately 3–5 million serious cases and about 300 thousand deaths worldwide. Most patients die from bacterial complications of influenza. The authors studied the course, laboratory findings, complications and causes of death in a set of 261 patients over the age of 65, of whom 218 were hospitalized and 43 were treated in an outpatient setting. Typical flu symptoms included fever, cough, general weakness, fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, headache and chills. Patients who later developed complications had elevated values of CRP, procalcitonin, urea and creatinine. Of the bacterial agents, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae were most often involved in complications. The antiviral drug oseltamivir was administered to 226 of 261 seniors. 47 (18.01%) people died from influenza and its complications. The causes were severe pneumonia with acute respiratory insufficiency and severe heart failure. As an effective prevention of the development of diseases and complications, the authors recommend annual timely vaccination, optimally with a tetravalent influenza vaccine.