Risk Factors and Underlying Factors Affecting the Development of Complications in Patients with Seasonal Flu

Background and Influenza is an acute respiratory disease with annual epidemics which can cause life-threatening complications in people with underlying illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney and respiratory diseases, and obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors and the underlying factors causing Influenza complications.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed using the medical records of 459 patients with influenza in Ghaemshahr Razi Hospital between May 2015 and March 2016.
The patients were 49.5% females (n=227) and 50.5% males (n= 232) whose median age was 43.6±18.5 years (5-89 years of age). The duration of hospitalization varied from 1 to 43 days (SD= 3.27). The most common findings in chest CT scans were grand glass. Among the patients, 23 (5%) needed special care. The most common underlying illnesses were diabetes and hypertension and the most common complaints were fever and cough, followed by fever and chills.
This study showed that influenza is not limited to a specific sex and age, and some underlying factors such as obesity, chronic pulmonary diseases, heart disease, and taking corticosteroids, and the time interval between the onset of symptoms and hospital arrival are amongst the major risk factors for its complications. More attention on these factors could be of great benefit in reducing the complications of Influenza.