A case–control study on risk factors associated with death in pregnant women with severe pandemic H1N1 infection. Issue 4 (7th July 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Furong; Chen, Guoping; Wang, Jianjun; Liu, Hong; Wu, Jiabing
• Is Part Of: BMJ open. Volume 2:Issue 4(2012)
• Publication Date: 2012-07-07
• Subjects: Medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; 610.72
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000827
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2044-6055

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: To describe the risk factors associated with death in pregnant women with severe pandemic H1N1 infection. Design: Case–control study. Setting: Anhui, China. Participants: A total of 46 pregnant women with severe pandemic H1N1 infection were studied during June 2009–April 2011. Primary and secondary outcome measures: All the cases were confirmed by the clinicians and epidemiologists together based on the positive laboratory result. Results: Of the seven pregnant women who died of the pandemic H1N1 infection, five (70%) cases were in their third trimester. Twenty-nine (63%) cases from the surviving group were admitted to hospital within 3 days after the onset of symptoms, while only one (2%) case from the death group took the earliest admission 2 days after the onset. There was a significant difference on how soon to be admitted between the death and the surviving groups (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.68). The median time of administrating corticosteroids was 5 days after the onset in the death group and 3 days in the surviving group showing no significant difference between them (p=0.056). Conclusions: For the pregnant women with severe p(H1N1) infection, the risk factors associated with death were as follows: the delay of antiviral treatment and being in the third trimester. The corticosteroids therapy appeared to have no effects on preventing the cases from death.