Volume 16, Number 8—August 2010
CME ACTIVITY
Correlation of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Viral Load with Disease Severity and Prolonged Viral Shedding in Children
Chung-Chen Li1, Lin Wang1, Hock-Liew Eng1, Huey-Ling You, Ling-Sai Chang, Kuo-Shu Tang, Ying-Jui Lin, Hsuan-Chang Kuo, Ing-Kit Lee, Jien-Wei Liu, Eng-Yen Huang, and Kuender D. Yang
Table 1
Demographic data for 581 patients with RT-PCR–confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection, Taiwan*
| Demographic variable |
No. (%) patients† |
|---|---|
| Sex, M/F | 337/244 |
| Age, y | |
| Median | 10.1 |
| Range | 0.38–78.8 |
| <4 | 49 (8.4) |
| >4 to <7 | 87 (15.0) |
| >7 to <13 | 256 (44.1) |
| >13 to <18 | 130 (22.4) |
| >18 to <50 | 54 (9.3) |
| >50 |
5 (0.9) |
| Days after onset of fever | |
| 0 (no fever) | 8 (1.4) |
| 1 | 354 (60.9) |
| 2 | 148 (25.5) |
| 3 | 49 (8.4) |
| 4 | 12 (2.1) |
| 5 | 7 (1.2) |
| >6 |
3 (0.5) |
| Disease severity | |
| URI† | 518 (89.2) |
| Bronchitis | 43 (7.4) |
| Pneumonia | 17 (2.9) |
| Meningoencephalitis |
3 (0.5) |
| Virus load from first throat swab, log10 copies/mL | |
| <1.0 | 6 (1.0) |
| 1.0– 2.0 | 47 (8.1) |
| >2.0 –3.0 | 80 (13.8) |
| >3.0 –4.0 | 170 (29.3) |
| >4.0–5.0 | 190 (32.7) |
| >5.0– 6.0 | 83 (14.3) |
| >6.0 | 5 (0.9) |
*RT-PCR, reverse transcription–PCR; URI, upper respiratory tract infection.
†Except as indicated.
