Spain: Pandemic Flu One in four patients with influenza admitted to the ICU died of this disease, according SEMICYUC

Note: SEMICYUC registration does not extend to all cases of ICU admission that occurred in Spain, since the data have only been reported by 138 hospitals of total which exist in Spain, but can be very valid to draw conclusions about the severity of the disease and its impact on the health system.

Pandemic Flu
One in four patients with influenza admitted to the ICU died of this disease, according SEMICYUC
The intensivists emphasize that the "coordinated response in Europe" against influenza A has saved the lives of 4,000 young patients
MADRID, Jan. 26 (EUROPA PRESS) --

One in four serious cases of influenza admitted to a Spanish ICU died of the disease, according to the record of serious cases of this disease created from data from 138 hospitals in the country by the experts of the Spanish Society of Medicine Intensive and Critical and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC), where, from June to yesterday, there were 872 patients, of whom 416 completed their development (47.7%)

The figures in this record were presented today in Madrid by the President of SEMICYUC, Cristóbal León, and the head of the department of Intensive Care Medicine Hospital of Tarragona Joan XXIII, coordinator of the European registry of severe cases of the disease, Jordi Rello, for whom the high survival rate in ICU patients achieved by the Spanish, 20 percent higher than that recorded in the countries of lationamerica, was due "to the prompt hospitalization and treatment with antivirals," received 99.5 percent of these people.

According to Dr. Rello, hospitalization of those affected in Spain took place in an average of three days, compared to 6 in Latin America, and administration of antivirals - in Spain were administered to 99.5% of patients admitted to UCI - were made in four days, compared with eight half it took to Latin American countries. In his view, this success was "the anticipation, coordination and good work of its experts and health authorities.

MORE OBESE AND SICK OF COPD

The registration of influenza patients who went through the ICU in Spain reveals that the average age of these persons was 43 years and most (54%) were men. Comorbidity appeared in 69 percent of cases, predominantly as risk factors for obesity (35.9%), COPD (16%) and asthma (12%), followed by diabetes (10%), the heart disease (6.4%), pregnancy (5.8%) or renal disease (4.7%), among others.

Those responsible for SEMICYUC directly rejected assessing the strategy of the World Health Organization (WHO) against the pandemic, which today is evaluated in the Council of Europe over allegations that point to a possible 'exaggeration' of the consencuencias disease benefit the pharmaceutical industry.

For Dr. Rello, preparedness measures against a pandemic such as influenza A "should not cause alarm, but to convey confidence" and the campaign developed in this field enabled an effective response to the problem and save lives, how it feels "satisfied". "Thanks to the coordinated response in Europe, have saved some 4,000 young patients are now doing normal life," he said.

"It was known that the virus was of low virulence"

However, he pointed that since the beginning, it was known that this virus was not very virulent, "although they easily transmitted and that" was different from that seen before, because it particularly affects young people. " Another feature of the virus was found in the registry, where they found that "three out of four of these patients had pneumonia directly by the influenza virus affecting the lung." "That's new," he insisted, saying that during last November, when the epidemic peaked in Spain, "one in four beds was occupied by a patient with influenza.

While acknowledging that it is not known why the pandemic affects more severely obese people, pregnant or chronically ill, says that is already evident that, paradoxically, people infected with HIV almost beat this flu without further problems. In fact, only 2.1 percent of patients with HIV / AIDS.

Bid to maintain active registration of severe cases of influenza A in the coming months to record most of the cases and its possible variations, pending that may occur in autumn or spring, a new outbreak pandemic because, for at present, is immunized less than 50 percent of the population.

Source: europa press
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