Studies on the Influenza, particularly the Influenza A/Asia/57 among Infantile Grips
II. Clinical Aspect
1959 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 196-204
Details
1959 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 196-204
Hundred and six cases of influenza A/Asia/57 diagnosed by the serological tests reported in the previous paper were divided into A group (78 cases in the hight of epidemic) and B group (28 sporadic cases before and after the epidemic).
The clinical aspect was as follows:
1) Statistically significant differences between the two groups consisted in that a sudden onset with initial fever was more frequently encountered in the A group and more cases free from fever in the B group.
2) Diagnoses suspected were in the following order ; pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, rhinitis, laryngitis and penumonia. Bronchitis was observed in about 20% of A as well as B group. Slight cases such as rhinitis was observed in 2 cases of A and in 3 cases of B group.
3) The majority of both groups had a fever period within 4 days, demonstrating a fever curve with 2 peaks in 12 out of 73 cases (16.4%) and a curve with 3 peaks in one case.
4) The majority of cases recovered within 2 weeks, no difference being noticed between the two groups.
5) Twenty two cases were complicated by nephritis (10 cases), periodic vomiting (3 cases), otitis media, exacerbation of pulmonary tuberculosis (2 cases), dyspepsy (2 cases), serous meningitis (1 case), cervical lymphadenitis (1 case) and pyothorax (1 case).
6) Abnormalities of leukocyte-count and figure and blood sedimentation rate were seen more frequently in the cases with complication or in the cases with pulmonary changes discovered roentgenologically.
7) Four cases of primary atypical pneumonia and one case of pleuritis were observed roentgenologically (5 cases in total, 4.7%) and, 2 cases of bronchitis were also seen.
8) Bacterial flora was investigated for the study of secondary infection with the following results; staphylococci with positive coagulase (34.5%), streptococci (10.3%), pneumonial diplococci (12.4%) and influenza bacilli (6.3%).
9) Antibiotica proved to be effective as compared with the contrast group.
