0000000000758491
AUTHOR
Angela Domínguez
Smoking may increase the risk of hospitalization due to influenza.
Background: Smoking may facilitate influenza virus infections and their severity. The objective was to investigate the risk of hospitalization due to influenza in Spanish smokers and ex-smokers. Methods: We carried out a multicentre, case-control study in 2011. Cases [patients a parts per thousand yen 18 years hospitalized > 24 h with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed influenza] were selected from 29 Spanish hospitals. For each case, we selected an outpatient aged a parts per thousand yen 18 years with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza matched by age (+/- 5 years), date of hospitalization of the case (+/- 10 days) and province of residence. We collected epidemiological variabl…
Prognosis of hospitalized patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza in Spain: influence of neuraminidase inhibitors
The H1N1 influenza pandemic strain has been associated with a poor prognosis in hospitalized patients. The present report evaluates the factors influencing prognosis.A total of 813 patients hospitalized with H1N1 influenza in 36 hospitals (nationwide) in Spain were analysed. Detailed histories of variables preceding hospital admission were obtained by interview, validating data on medications and vaccine with their attending physicians. Data on treatment and complications during hospital stay were recorded. As definition of poor outcome, the endpoints of death and admission to intensive care were combined; and as a further outcome, length of stay was used.The mean age was 38.5 years (SD 22.…
Acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in Catalonia, Spain: norovirus versus Salmonella.
Objective. To describe the epidemiology of norovirus (NV) and Salmonella gastroenteritis outbreaks in Catalonia between 15 October 2004 and 30 October 2005. Material and methods. Epidemiological data were obtained from outbreak reports. The aetiologic agent was investigated by culture for enteric bacteria, enzyme immunoanalyses, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and molecular epidemiology genotyping for NV. The x 2 test was used to compare proportions. Incidence rates and their confidence intervals (CI) were calculated assuming a Poisson distribution. Results. A total of 225 acute gastroenteritis (AG) outbreaks were reported, with 3436 persons affected and 115 hospita…
Knowledge of and attitudes to influenza in unvaccinated primary care physicians and nurses
Primary healthcare workers, especially nurses, are exposed to the vast majority of patients with influenza and play an important role in vaccinating patients. Healthcare workers' misconceptions about influenza and influenza vaccination have been reported as possible factors associated with lack of vaccination. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of unvaccinated physicians and unvaccinated nurses in the 2011-2012 influenza season. We performed an anonymous web survey of Spanish primary healthcare workers in 2012. Information was collected on vaccination and knowledge of and attitudes to the influenza vaccine. Multivariate analysis was performed using unconditional …
Asthma and influenza vaccination in elderly hospitalized patients: Matched case-control study in Spain
Influenza infection is an exacerbating factor for asthma, and its prevention is critical in managing asthmatic patients. We investigated the effect of influenza vaccination on asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza in Spain.We made a matched case-control study to assess the frequency of hospitalization for influenza in people aged ≥65 years. Hospitalized patients with unplanned hospital admissions were recruited from 20 hospitals representing seven Spanish regions. Cases were defined as those hospitalized due to a laboratory-confirmed influenza infection and controls were matched by age, sex, and hospital. Data were obtained from clinical recor…
No Major Host Genetic Risk Factor Contributed to A(H1N1)2009 Influenza Severity
Garcia-Etxebarria, Koldo et al.
Effectiveness of vaccination with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in preventing hospitalization with laboratory confirmed influenza during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons
Background: Since influenza predisposes to bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, studies have suggested that pneumococcal vaccination might reduce its occurrence during pandemics. We assessed the effectiveness of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination alone and in combination with influenza vaccination in preventing influenza hospitalization during the 2009–2010 pandemic wave and 2010–2011 influenza epidemic. Methods: We conducted a multicenter case-control study in 36 Spanish hospitals. We selected patients aged ≥ 18 y hospitalized with confirmed influenza and two hospitalized controls per case, matched according to age, date of hospitalization and province of residence.…
An outbreak of food poisoning due to a genogroup I norovirus.
Norovirus infection is associated with approximately 90% of epidemic non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis. The objective of this study is to describe an outbreak of norovirus genogroup I gastroenteritis which affected workers in a hospital and was attributed to food prepared by an infected food handler. Forty cases were detected, of whom 80% were interviewed. The index case was the cook employed in the hospital cafeteria. The following symptoms were observed: abdominal pain in 90·6%, vomiting in 71·9%, diarrhoea in 71·9%, general indisposition in 62·5%, headaches in 53·1% and fever in 32·4% of cases. The initial symptoms were abdominal pain in 37% and vomiting in 28%. Of the 14 samples analy…
Visualizing knowledge and attitude factors related to influenza vaccination of physicians
To characterize groups of primary healthcare physicians according to sociodemographic data, years of professional experience and knowledge of and attitudes to influenza, and to evaluate differences between groups with respect to influenza vaccination in the 2011-2012 season.We carried out an anonymous web survey of Spanish primary healthcare physicians in 2012. Information on vaccination, and knowledge of and attitudes to influenza was collected. Multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were used to define groups of physicians.We included 835 physicians and identified three types. Type B were physicians with low professional experience of influenza. Types A and C were physician…
Epidemiological and clinical features of norovirus gastroenteritis in outbreaks: a population-based study
AbstractNoroviruses are the most frequent cause of acute gastroenteritis in the community. In Catalonia, it is not clear how this type of viral gastroenteritis is evolving, and the objective of this prospective population-based study was to describe the incidence and epidemiological and clinical features of outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis due to norovirus in Catalonia between October 2004 and October 2005. Incidence rates were calculated using the estimated population of Catalonia in 2005. For each outbreak, the mode of transmission, the number of persons affected, demographic variables, clinical presentation, the date and time of onset of symptoms and the duration of symptoms, physician…
Aetiology and epidemiology of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in Catalonia (Spain) in 2004-2005.
Abstract Background Acute infectious gastroenteritis causes substantial morbidity and economic loss. Objective The aetiology, epidemiology, and clinical features of acute viral gastroenteritis outbreaks reported during 1 year in Catalonia were investigated. Study Design This was a population-based study in which enzyme immunoassay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques were used to determine the presence of virus in stool specimens from outbreaks clinically and epidemiologically compatible with a viral aetiology and negative for bacteria, parasites and toxins. Results Sixty outbreaks affecting 1791 people were evaluated. Fifty-five outbreaks were positive fo…
Different prognosis in hospitalized patients with influenza one season after the pandemic H1N1 influenza of 2009-2010 in Spain
Background The present report compares prognosis in hospitalized cases with the H1N1 pandemic virus in two seasons. Methods Two series of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 pandemic influenza have been compared: 813 in the season 2009–2010 and 707 in the season 2010–2011. A detailed history of variables preceding hospital admission and during hospitalization was obtained by interview and clinical charts. A combined endpoint of death admission to intensive care was used as outcome due to the low number of deaths. Logistic regression was applied in the analysis for adverse outcome. Results Patients of the second season had different characteristics than in the first one (old…
Knowledge of and attitudes to influenza in unvaccinated primary care physicians and nurses
Primary healthcare workers, especially nurses, are exposed to the vast majority of patients with influenza and play an important role in vaccinating patients. Healthcare workers' misconceptions about influenza and influenza vaccination have been reported as possible factors associated with lack of vaccination. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of unvaccinated physicians and unvaccinated nurses in the 2011-2012 influenza season. We performed an anonymous web survey of Spanish primary healthcare workers in 2012. Information was collected on vaccination and knowledge of and attitudes to the influenza vaccine. Multivariate analysis was performed using unconditional …
Sequential evolution of genotype GII.4 norovirus variants causing gastroenteritis outbreaks from 2001 to 2006 in Eastern Spain.
Noroviruses are the most common cause of outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Norovirus outbreaks were surveyed in Catalonia and the region of Valencia (Eastern Spain) between January 2001 and December 2006 as part of the European Union funded network "Food-borne viruses in Europe". During this time the etiology and epidemiological features of 194 outbreaks of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis were investigated and norovirus was identified as causing 169 (87.1%) of them. Molecular epidemiology of viral strains was studied by RT-PCR and sequencing part of the RNA polymerase gene in ORF1 from 153 outbreak strains. The most commonly identified norovirus genotype was GII.4 (71.9% of …
Smoking may increase the risk of influenza hospitalization and reduce influenza vaccine effectiveness in the elderly.
Background Through its effects on the immune system, smoking may facilitate influenza virus infection, its severity and its most frequent complications. The objective was to investigate the smoking history as a risk factor for influenza hospitalization and influenza vaccine effectiveness in elderly smokers/ex-smokers and non-smokers. Methods We carried out a multicenter case-control study in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 influenza seasons. Cases aged ≥65 years and age-, sex-matched controls were selected from 20 Spanish hospitals. We collected epidemiological variables, comorbidities, vaccination history and the smoking history. The risk of hospitalization due to smoking (current smokers and …
Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing outpatient, inpatient, and severe cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
Background. In most seasons, the influenza vaccine is effective in preventing influenza, but it is not clear whether it is equally effective in preventing mild and severe cases. We designed a case-control study to compare the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in preventing outpatient, inpatient, and severe or fatal cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Methods. Hospitalized patients (n = 691) with laboratory-confirmed influenza in the 2010–2011 season recruited in 29 Spanish hospitals were individually matched by age, admission/visit date, and province with an outpatient with laboratory-confirmed influenza and an outpatient control. Severe cases were considered those patients admitt…
The effectiveness of influenza vaccination in preventing hospitalisations of elderly individuals in two influenza seasons: a multicentre case-control study, Spain, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
Influenza vaccination may limit the impact of influenza in the community. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in preventing hospitalisation in individuals aged ≥ 65 years in Spain. A multicentre case–control study was conducted in 20 Spanish hospitals during 2013/14 and 2014/15. Patients aged ≥ 65 years who were hospitalised with laboratory-confirmed influenza were matched with controls according to sex, age and date of hospitalisation. Adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated by multivariate conditional logistic regression. A total of 728 cases and 1,826 matched controls were included in the study. Overall VE was 36% (95% confidence inte…