Volume 10, Number 8—August 2004
Research
Long-Term Prognosis for Clinical West Nile Virus Infection
Table 1
Health outcomes assessed during follow-up telephone interviews of New Yorkers with clinical West Nile virus infection in 1999a,b
Physical health | Cognitive health | Functional health |
---|---|---|
Difficulty walkingc Fatigue Headache Insomnia Joint pain Muscle pain Muscle weakness Seizures Stiff neck | Confusion Depression Irritability Lightheadedness Loss of concentration Loss of memory | Heavy chores Laundry Light housekeeping Managing medications Managing money Meal preparation Shopping Telephoning Transportation |
aAt 12 months postonset, baseline status for each outcome was assessed; for each outcome, patients were asked to report the degree to which they experienced the signs and symptoms at baseline (by recall) and at 12 months postonset.
bEach outcome was scored 0–2 according to the following scale: always = 2, sometimes = 1, never = 0. Functional health was scored according to how frequently the patient had difficulty performing the task. Recovery was calculated as the sum of the baseline score in each category, divided by the sum of the 12-month score.
cDifficulty walking was given twice the weight as other outcomes in the recovery score calculation.