Our Seasonal flu shots for children 3 years of age or younger are now available. If your child has not yet recieved this vaccine or is due for their second dose please call the office to schedule their appointment. We do not yet have information on when we will recieve the rest of our Seasonal flu vaccine for patients above the age of 3, as soon as we do we will post it on this website.

The shot for children 3 years of age and up for the H1N1 (aka Swine flu) are now available! If you are interested in having your child vaccinated please call the office to schedule an appointment. We are making every effort to get everyone in as quickly as possible, but due to the large number of vaccines we need to administer in a short period of time we have alloted certain times we are scheduling these appointments. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
If you have questions regarding the vaccines please follow this link: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm.for the vaccine information sheets to help you make an informed decision.

CAM for your depressed patient: 6 recommended options

Sy Atezaz Saeed, MD

Professor and chair, Department of psychiatric medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Richard M. Bloch, PhD

Professor and director of research, Department of psychiatric medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Diana J. Antonacci, MD

Associate professor and director of residency training, Department of psychiatric medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Americans with depression turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) more often than conventional psychotherapy or FDA-approved medication. In a nationally representative sample, 54% of respondents with self-reported “severe depression”—including two-thirds of those receiving conventional therapies—reported using CAM during the previous 12 months.¹

Unfortunately, popular acceptance of CAM for depression is disproportionate to the evidence base, which—although growing—remains limited. As a result, your patients may be self-medicating with poorly supported treatments that are unlikely to help them recover from depression.

In reviewing CAM treatments for depression, we found some with enough evidence of positive effect that we feel comfortable recommending them as evidence-based options. These promising, short-term treatments are supported by level 1a or 1b evidence and at least 1 study that demonstrates an ability to induce remission (Table 1).²

For patients seeking “natural” or nonprescription treatments—or when you wish to augment standard treatments that are not working adequately—you might recommend fatty acids, St. John’s wort, or S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). Similar recommendations can be made for yoga, exercise, and bibliotherapy, as we discuss here.

Table 1
Evidence these authors required to recommend a CAM treatment

Reviewing CAM evidence

This article refers to as “alternative” any treatment other than a form of psychotherapy or an FDA-approved medication that substitutes for a standard psychiatric treatment. When used to augment standard psychiatric treatments, these approaches are considered “complementary.”

Our search for evidence on CAM treatments for depressive disorders raised questions about what constitutes acceptable and convincing methodology:

• Studies often had problems with blinding and suitable placebos. Many were small, with short duration and no long-term follow-up.

• Comparisons with active treatments that showed no differences were assumed to imply comparability, even though the studies were powered to detect only large differences.

On the other hand, multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown consistent superiority of some CAM treatments over comparison conditions.

Applying the evidence. Because CAM use is widespread, be sure to ask psychiatric patients if they are using CAM treatments. If the answer is “yes,” a risk-benefit assessment is needed. Inform patients who are using poorly supported CAM approaches that they could consider better-supported CAM options as well as standard effective antidepressants.

Monitor patients for an adequately prompt positive response to an evidence-based CAM approach that has shown efficacy for their level of depression. As with any treatment, consider other evidence-based options when CAM treatments are inadequate or unsuccessful in achieving remission of depressive symptoms.

Sufficient evidence of efficacy

Yoga. In their systematic review of yoga’s effectiveness for depression, Pilkington et al³ analyzed 5 RCTs that met 3 criteria:

• participants had mild to severe depression or depressive disorders

• yoga or yoga-based exercises alone were used for treatment

• depression rating scales were used as outcome measures.

They found evidence that yoga can reduce depressive symptoms and induce remission (Table 2). The studies were generally small and of short duration, and depression severity and interventions varied widely. Most participants were young and relatively fit, raising questions about yoga’s applicability to older or less fit patients. Reporting of adverse events was limited, but no safety issues or adverse effects were identified.

Conclusion. Yoga has been studied primarily as an alternative treatment, but its physical health and group participation benefits and lack of side effects make it a suitable complementary treatment as well.

Exercise. Extensive literature has examined the relationship between exercise and depression. We identified 7 reviews published between 1993 and 2008 (Table 3). All supported positive effects of exercise except for patients age <20.>

• 45% with supervised exercise

• 40% with home-based exercise

• 47% with sertraline, 50 to 200 mg/d

• 31% with placebo.⁴

Table 2
5 RCTs of yoga’s effectiveness in treating depression

Table 3
Evidence of the antidepressant effect of exercise

Conclusion. Evidence supports exercise for short-term treatment of mild or moderate depression in adults. Studies tend to be small and brief, to enroll young physically -sound patients, and to include little follow-up. Studies of subjects age <20>

At least 2 studies suggest that high-energy exercise and aerobic or resistance training provide greater reductions in depressive symptoms than exercises such as walking.^5,6 Yoga’s positive effects suggest, however, that an aerobic effect is not necessary for an antidepressant benefit.

Exercise has not been adequately tested as a complementary treatment but likely is safe for most psychiatric patients. Perspiration and dehydration might alter therapeutic blood levels of lithium or other medications. Advise patients to drink water before, during, and after exercise and to avoid outdoor exercise in extreme temperatures. More vigorous monitoring might be indicated in specific cases.

Tailor exercise programs to individual needs, considering the patient’s age and health status. Refer a patient with a known heart problem or increased cardiovascular risk to his or her physician for selective exercise testing.

Bibliotherapy—reading self-help books, usually about cognitive-behavioral approaches to depressive disorders—has been relatively well studied. A recent meta-analysis examined 29 studies with pre-post designs. Group differences in the 17 controlled studies yielded a large effect size of 0.77. Participants who read the materials benefitted similarly whether they met in groups or applied the information on their own. Older adults tended to be less depressed at baseline and made smaller treatment gains.⁷

A study of 31 patients age >60 with mild-to-moderate depression⁸ compared 16 sessions of professionally administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with self-administered cognitive therapy learned from reading a book.⁹ Both groups showed greater improvement in depressive symptoms compared with a control group. Subjects in the CBT group did somewhat better during the trial, but at 3-month follow-up most patients in both treatment groups no longer met diagnostic criteria for MDD.

Conclusion. Evidence supports bibliotherapy as an effective treatment for mild-to-moderate depression. No convincing data support its use as a complementary treatment, but it poses virtually no risk.

St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been extensively studied for depressive disorders, with 29 RCTs in a meta-analysis of MDD trials through July 2008.¹⁰ Another meta-analysis compared St. John’s wort with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in 13 studies through June 2008.¹¹ These and most RCTs have found St. John’s wort significantly more effective than placebo in reducing depressive symptoms.

Data selected from double-blind RCTs totaling 217 patients with mild depression [Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores <20]>12 Studies routinely show that treating MDD with St. John’s wort is comparable to using tricyclic or SSRI antidepressants.

Side effects with St. John’s wort generally are no different than with placebo and significantly less than with comparison treatments. Even so, using St. John’s wort instead of SSRIs for MDD remains controversial.

Studies vs SSRIs. Many of the favorable St. John’s wort trials were conducted in Europe, particularly in Germany. Two large RCTs conducted in the United States reported that the St. John’s wort standardized extract LI-160 was not more effective than placebo, but neither could be clearly interpreted as negative for St. John’s wort:

• In an 8-week trial, St. John’s wort and placebo groups improved significantly but at unusually low rates. The remission rate with St. John’s wort was small but significantly higher than with placebo.¹³

• A study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health compared St. John’s wort, 900 to 1,500 mg/d; sertraline, 50 to 100 mg/d; and placebo in 340 adults with MDD. No positive effects were found for St. John’s wort or sertraline.¹⁴

Side effects. St. John’s wort can affect blood levels of circulating medications metabolized by the cytochrome P450 liver enzyme system, including tricyclic antidepressants. Case studies have reported pregnancy from oral contraceptive failure, skin rashes, headache, and mania with St. John’s wort use. Although these reports are disturbing, St. John’s wort’s side effects when compared with SSRIs have been less frequent (40% vs 49%) and milder (clinical trial dropout rate 2% vs 7%).¹¹

Conclusion. Standardized extracts of St. John’s wort—particularly WS5570, 300 mg tid, and ZE117, 250 mg bid—appear to be effective treatments, especially for mild-to-moderate MDD. Because St. John’s wort is available without prescription and can interact with SSRIs or other antidepressants:

• care is required for its complementary use

• it is important to ask if patients are using St. John’s wort on their own.

St. John’s wort is used as a first-line depression treatment in Europe, but U.S. physicians may be less familiar with its potential interactions with other medications. We recommend that you consider St. John’s wort:

• for first-line use only when you can adequately gauge its effects on your patient’s other medications

• especially for depressed patients who cannot tolerate SSRIs.

SAMe is a metabolite involved in bio-synthesis of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.¹⁵ SAMe salts (such as 1,4-butanedisulfonate) are used as an over-the-counter supplement for depression treatment. Dozens of RCTs show SAMe has greater efficacy than placebo and positive effects comparable to those of standard antidepressants. In a meta-analysis of 28 RCTs by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research, SAMe produced significantly greater symptom improvement compared with placebo.¹⁶

SAMe has become a popular alternative treatment for depression since its introduction to the United States in the late 1990s, but it has been studied in only 2 U.S. open trials. One showed SAMe to be very effective in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with HIV/AIDS.¹⁷ The other found a 50% response rate and 43% remission rate with adjunctive SAMe, 800 to 1,600 mg/d for 6 weeks, in 30 adults with MDD who failed to respond adequately to SSRIs or the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) venlafaxine. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and headaches.¹⁸ This open trial led to an ongoing National Institutes of Health-sponsored RCT on the safety and efficacy of SAMe for patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Conclusion. SAMe appears to have a faster onset of antidepressant effect than standard SSRIs or SNRIs and a favorable side-effect profile, which make the lack of rigorous trials in the United States striking. We recommend that you consider SAMe:

• as an adjunct in patients with incomplete response to standard treatments

• as a complementary treatment to speed onset of antidepressant effects.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), usually from fish oils, have long been popular nutritional supplements because of their beneficial effects on cholesterol and cardiovascular health. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are the most common PUFAs. The omega-3 PUFAs include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Four meta-analyses independently looked at largely the same dozen RCTs through 2006 and found that 1 to 2 grams daily of omega-3 PUFAs was significantly more effective at reducing depressive symptoms than placebo.^19–22 Other data suggest that omega-3 PUFAs can induce depression remission in depressed Parkinson’s disease patients²³ and depressed pregnant women.²⁴ Since 2006, however, findings have been inconsistent. Several trials have found PUFAs no more effective than placebo.^25–27

An 8-week double-blind study compared EPA, 1 gram daily; fluoxetine, 20 mg/d; or both agents in 60 outpatients with MDD. Response rates—as measured by ≥50% reduction in baseline HDRS scores—were 50% with fluoxetine, 56% with EPA, and 81% with combination therapy.²⁸

Conclusion. Questions remain about dosing, ratio of EPA to DHA, patient selection, and baseline blood levels of PUFAs compared with response. PUFAs have a benign side-effect profile, with occasional reports of diarrhea or GI upset. Although their therapeutic effects are being clarified, PUFAs appear safe to recommend as an adjunct treatment if standard care is not satisfactory.

Insufficient evidence

L-tryptophan. It seems reasonable to expect a serotonin precursor to increase serotonin in the CNS and improve depressive symptoms. Of 111 trials on L-tryptophan for depression, however, only 2 met the quality criteria for inclusion in a recent meta-analysis.²⁹ Combining the 2 trials showed L-tryptophan alone and in combination with a tricyclic antidepressant was more effective than placebo for treating depressive disorders in adults.

Conclusion. Very little research continues to test L-tryptophan as a viable CAM for depressive disorder. Its serious side effect of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome makes clinical use of this agent unlikely.

Acupuncture. Numerous small studies with questionable controls, different needling placements, and poor allocation concealment and blinding limit the ability to draw conclusions about acupuncture for treating depression (Table 4). A recent meta-analysis by Wang et al³⁰ added 2 Chinese trials not included in an earlier review³¹ and found acupuncture significantly reduced depressive symptoms. No consistent differences were detected in response or remission rates, however.

Conclusion. Evidence is methodologically weak, and the use of acupuncture as an alternative or complementary treatment of depression is questionable.

Table 4
Acupuncture: Insufficient evidence of antidepressant effect

Related resources

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health. http://nccam.nih.gov.

• Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. www.liebertpub.com/products/product.aspx?pid=26.

• Complementary and alternative medicine. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandalternativemedicine.html.

Drug brand names

Fluoxetine • Prozac
Imipramine • Tofranil
Lithium • Eskalith, Lithobid
Sertraline • Zoloft
Venlafaxine • Effexor

Disclosure

The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

References

1. Kessler RC, Soukup J, Davis RB, et al. The use of complementary and alternative therapies to treat anxiety and depression in the United States. Am J Psychiatry. 2001;158(2):289–294.
2. Phillips B, Ball C, Sackett D, et al. Oxford University Centre for Evidence Based Medicine levels of evidence and grades of recommendation (March 2009). Available at: http://www.cebm.net/index.aspx?o=1025#levels. Accessed August 19, 2009.
3. Pilkington K, Kirkwood G, Rampes H, et al. Yoga for depression: the research evidence. J Affect Disord. 2005;89(1-3):13–24.
4. Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, et al. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007;69(7):587–596.
5. Dunn AL, Trivedi MH, Kampert JB, et al. Exercise treatment for depression: efficacy and dose response. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28(1):1–8.
6. Legrand F, Heuze JP. Antidepressant effects associated with different exercise conditions in participants with depression: a pilot study. J Sport Exercise Psychol. 2007;29(3):348–364.
7. Gregory RJ, Schwer Canning S, Lee TW, et al. Cognitive bibliotherapy for depression: a meta-analysis. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2004;35(3):275–280.
8. Floyd M, Scogin F, McKendree-Smith NL, et al. Cognitive therapy for depression: a comparison of individual psychotherapy and bibliotherapy for depressed older adults. Behav Modif. 2004;28(2):297–318.
9. Burns DD. Feeling good: the new mood therapy.New York, NY: HarperCollins; 1980.
10. Linde K, Berner MM, Kriston L. St John’s Wort for major depression. [update of Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(2):CD000448; PMID: 15846605].Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008(4):000448.
11. Rahimi R, Nikfar S, Abdollahi M. Efficacy and tolerability of Hypericum perforatum in major depressive disorder in comparison with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a meta-analysis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2009;33(1):118–127.
12. Kasper S, Gastpar M, Müller WE, et al. Efficacy of St. John’s wort extract WS 5570 in acute treatment of mild depression: a reanalysis of data from controlled clinical trials. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008;258(1):59–63.
13. Shelton RC, Keller MB, Gelenberg A, et al. Effectiveness of St John’s wort in major depression: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2001;285(15):1978–1986.
14. Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group. Effect of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;287(14):1807–1814.
15. Mischoulon D, Fava M. Role of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in the treatment of depression: a review of the evidence. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76(suppl):1158S–1161S.
16. Hardy ML, Coulter I, Morton SC, et al. S-adenosyl-L-methionine for treatment of depression, osteoarthritis, and liver disease [comment in ACP J Club. 2003;139(1):20]. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Summ). 2003;Aug(64):1–3.
17. Shippy RA, Mendez D, Jones K, et al. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) for the treatment of depression in people living with HIV/AIDS. BMC Psychiatry. 2004;4:38.
18. Alpert JE, Papakostas G, Mischoulon D, et al. S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) as an adjunct for resistant major depressive disorder: an open trial following partial or nonresponse to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or venlafaxine. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2004;24(6):661–664.
19. Lin PY, Su KP. A meta-analytic review of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68(7):1056–1061.
20. Freeman MP, Hibbeln JR, Wisner KL, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry [published correction appears in J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68(2):338]. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(12):1954–1967.
21. Ross BM, Seguin J, Sieswerda LE. Omega-3 fatty acids as treatments for mental illness: which disorder and which fatty acid? Lipids Health Dis. 2007;6:21.
22. Appleton KM, Hayward RC, Gunnell D, et al. Effects of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on depressed mood: systematic review of published trials [comment in Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(6):1665-1666; author reply 1666]. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(6):1308–1316.
23. da Silva TM, Munhoz RP, Alvarez C, et al. Depression in Parkinson’s disease: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation. J Affect Disord. 2008;111(2-3):351–359.
24. Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu TH, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder during pregnancy: results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008;69(4):644–651.
25. Grenyer BF, Crowe T, Meyer B, et al. Fish oil supplementation in the treatment of major depression: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2007;31(7):1393–1396.
26. Rees AM, Austin MP, Parker GB. Omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment for perinatal depression: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2008;42(3):199–205.
27. Rogers PJ, Appleton KM, Kessler D, et al. No effect of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (EPA and DHA) supplementation on depressed mood and cognitive function: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2008;99(2):421–431.
28. Jazayeri S, Tehrani-Doost M, Keshavarz SA, et al. Comparison of therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid and fluoxetine, separately and in combination, in major depressive disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2008;42(3):192–198.
29. Shaw K, Turner J, Del Mar C. Tryptophan and 5-Hydroxytryptophan for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(1):CD003198.
30. Wang H, Qi H, Wang BS, et al. Is acupuncture beneficial in depression: a meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials? J Affect Disord. 2008;111(2-3):125–134.
31. Smith CA, Hay PPJ. Acupuncture for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(2):CD004046.

Current Psy

Hi,

If you are interested in getting the Swine Flu Mist for your child, it is now in. Please remember that the children have to be 2 years old or more and have no chronic illnesses such as asthma or serious egg allergies. Also, if your child has recently had the the Seasonal Flu Mist, you must wait 28 days or more before getting the swine flu mist.

Also, please remember that this is a live virus vaccine, which is what makes it a more effective vaccine than the shot. We do not yet have any confirmation from the Sarasota Health Department about the availability of the Swine Flu shot (killed virus).

Please call the office for an appointment for the nasal mist vaccine. We are making every effort to give as many vaccines as quickly as the demand dictates, including Saturday mornings. We have been allotted 300 doses, so supply is not infinite. Call 365-5898 and ask to be scheduled for the Swine Flu Mist if you would like to get this done. Thanks,

Dr Ted, Nancy, Jen, Kay and all of us at Meyer Pediatrics

Recognize and Prevent MRSA Infections

As kids head back to classrooms and sports venues, parents are encouraged to learn how to recognize and prevent skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics.

It is estimated that Americans of all ages visit the doctor more than 12 million times per year for skin infections that are typical of staph, more than half of which are MRSA. The good news is that a few simple steps can help parents protect their families.

Learn about MRSA

MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin and other infections. As with regular staph infections, recognizing the signs and receiving treatment for MRSA skin infections in the early stages reduces the chances of the infection becoming severe. MRSA is spread by:

• Having direct contact with another person’s infection
• Sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that have touched infected skin
• Touching surfaces or items, such as used bandages, contaminated with MRSA

Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Infections

Most staph skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that may be:

• Red
• Swollen
• Painful
• Warm to the touch
• Full of pus or other drainage
• Accompanied by a fever

Take Action if You Suspect an MRSA Skin Infection

Cover the area with a bandage and contact your healthcare professional. It’s especially important to contact your healthcare professional if signs and symptoms of an MRSA skin infection are accompanied by a fever.

Protect Yourself and Your Family from MRSA Skin Infections

• Know the signs of MRSA skin infections and get treated early
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered
• Encourage good hygiene such as cleaning hands regularly
• Discourage sharing of personal items such as towels and razors

National MRSA Education Initiative

The National MRSA Education Initiative is a comprehensive public education campaign to help parents and healthcare providers recognize, treat, and prevent MRSA skin infections in their families and patients. Through the Initiative, parents, healthcare providers and organizations have access to education materials – including printed posters, fact sheets, brochures and flyers, and Web-based e-cards, content and graphics. To access materials, visit www.cdc.gov/MRSA.

More Information

• Call 1-800-CDC-INFO
• CDC MRSA home page
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (2007) (4:57 minutes)
• Dealing with Drug Resistant Bugs (2007) (5:49 minutes)
• MRSA in Schools: Fact Sheet
• MRSA Among Athletes: Fact Sheet
• MRSA and the Environment: Fact Sheet
• Healthcare-Associated MRSA Infections

Clinical Features of H1N1 Influenza

Typical Signs and Symptoms

The incubation period for H1N1 influenza is 1-4 days, possibly as long as 7 days. The clinical features of influenza are well known and include:

• Sudden onset of fever (usually high);
• Headache;
• Extreme tiredness;
• Dry cough;
• Sore throat;
• Runny nose; and
• Muscle aches and stomach symptoms — more common in children.

(CDC. Interim guidance for clinicians on identifying and caring for patients with swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. June 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/identifyingpatients.htm Accessed September 16, 2009.)

The symptoms of pandemic H1N1 influenza of 2009 are essentially the same as the seasonal flu, although some have noted an increased frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea, and others have noted the absence of fever in a significant number with virologically proven cases.

The CDC defines cases as influenza-like illness (ILI) if there is fever of ≥100° F (37.8° C) plus cough and/or sore throat in the absence of a known cause other than influenza. Another category is acute respiratory illness (ARI), defined by the presence of 2 of the following 4 symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, or rhinorrhea. In the outbreak of pandemic influenza in New York City, 95% of virologically proven cases satisfied the ILI definition. (CDC. Swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infections in a school — New York City, April 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Dispatch. 2009;58:1-3. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0430a1.htm Accessed September 25, 2009.)

Patients with 2009 influenza A H1N1 infections have higher rates of gastrointestinal symptoms and lack of fever compared with those who have seasonal flu. Most patients have mild symptoms, but a small subset of previously healthy young adults have severe pulmonary disease that progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); this may occur with or without underlying conditions.

Symptoms in virologically confirmed cases. During an outbreak of H1N1 in a New York City high school, a sample of New York City school students (median age, 15 years) with virologically confirmed cases were interviewed about their symptoms by telephone. They reported:

• Cough (98%);
• Subjective fever (96%);
• Fatigue (89%);
• Headache (82%);
• Sore throat (82%);
• Abdominal pain (50%);
• Diarrhea (48%);
• Dyspnea (48%); and
• Joint pain (46%).

The measured mean peak fever in this group was 102.2° F. (CDC. Swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infections in a school — New York City, April 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Dispatch. 2009;58:1-3. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0430a1.htm Accessed September 25, 2009.)

Case Definitions for H1N1 Influenza

(CDC. Interim guidance for clinicians on identifying and caring for patients with swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. June 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/identifyingpatients.htm Accessed September 16, 2009.)

• Confirmed case: Patient with ILI plus laboratory evidence confirmed by real-time RT-PCR or viral culture;
• Probable case: ILI plus laboratory test positive for influenza A and negative for human H1 and H3 by RT-PCR; and
• Optional: ILI without negative H1N1 test and (1) previously healthy person > 65 years hospitalized for ILI; (2) epidemiologic link to confirmed or probable case in past 7 days; or (3) ILI plus travel to a state or country with confirmed or probable cases.

Complications of H1N1 Influenza

• Exacerbation of underlying chronic disease;
• Complications related to the upper airways, including sinusitis or otitis;
• Pulmonary complications, including bronchitis, asthma (sometimes with status asthmaticus), and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis; and
• Miscellaneous conditions, including cardiac (myocarditis and pericarditis), myositis, rhabdomyolysis, central nervous system complications (encephalopathy, encephalitis, seizures), toxic shock syndrome, and secondary bacterial pneumonia.

Severe complications of H1N1 Influenza. In June 2009, the University of Michigan reported severe pulmonary complications of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection in 10 patients with a median age of 49 years. All 10 patients were referred for severe hypoxemia, ARDS, and inability to oxygenate with conventional ventilation methods. All had severe multilobar pneumonia on x-ray, none had evidence of bacterial pneumonia, and 4 had CT scan-confirmed pulmonary embolism. Lab findings included leukocytosis in 5 (median WBC 9500/mm³), elevated AST levels (41-109 IU/L) in all 10, and elevated CPK levels (51-6572 IU/L) in 6; none had evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. The major risk factor was obesity in 9 and morbid obesity (BMI > 40) in 7. All 10 required advanced mechanical ventilation with high-frequency oscillatory or bilevel ventilation with mean airway pressures of 32-55 cm H₂O. Two required veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support and 6 required dialysis. At the time of the report, 3 had died, 1 was still on ECMO, 1 was still on mechanical ventilation, and 5 had been transferred back to referring institutions. (CDC. Intensive care patients with severe novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection — Michigan, June, 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:749-752.)

Neurologic complications. Neurologic complications were reported in 4 children ages 7-17 years with 2009 H1N1 influenza A. Findings included seizures in 2 children, encephalitis in 2, and ataxia in 1. All recovered without neurologic sequelae. The editorial comment in this report noted that the neurologic disease in these 4 patients was less severe than what has been described in previous reports of seasonal flu. (CDC. Neurological complications associated with novel influenza A (H1N1) infection in children — Dallas, Texas, May 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:773-778.; Maricich SM, Neuf JL, Lotze TE, et al. Neurologic complications association with influenza A in children during the 2003-2004 influenza season in Houston, Texas. Pediatrics. 2004;114:e626-e633.; Morishima T, Togashi T, Yokota S, et al. Encephalitis and encephalopathy associated with an influenza epidemic in Japan. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;35:512-517.)

Related Risk for Infection, Hospitalization, and Lethal Outcome

Age-related risk. These data are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Rates for H1N1 for May-July 2009 by Age

^a % of total deaths. Age data not available for 15%.
Rate expressed /100,000 population

US age data

(Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Investigation Team; Dawood FS, Jain S, Finelli L, et al. Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:2605-2615.)

• Median age of confirmed cases: 12 years
• Median age of hospitalized cases: 20 years
• Median age of lethal cases: 37 years

Parents/Caregivers: If your child or adolescent has been diagnosed with Mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr Virus), Hepatitis or other serious viral illnesses within the past few months, please make sure our office is aware before obtaining the influenza vaccine (mist or shot). There may be some time constraints or contraindications. Contact us for any questions.