• Teresa del Rosal, Fernando Baquero-Artigao, Cristina Calvo, María J Mellado, Juan C Molina, María del Mar Santos, María J Cilleruelo, Mercedes Bueno, Pilar Storch de Gracia, Covadonga Terol, Miguel Á Roa, Roi Piñeiro, Milagros García López-Hortelano, María L García-García, Sonia Rodríguez, María Penín, Alejandro Zarauza, Francisco Alvarado, Ana de Blas, Enrique Otheo, Alfonso Rodríguez, María L Herreros, Alfredo Tagarro, Luis Grande, José T Ramos, Irene Maté, Cristina Muñoz, Miguel Á Zafra, María P Romero-Gómez, Elia Pérez-Fernández, Alberto Delgado, Inmaculada Casas, and María E Cabezas.
• Pediatrics Department, Hospital Infanta Elena, Valdemoro, Madrid, Spain. teredelrosal@yahoo.es
• Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2011 Nov 1;5(6):e544-51.

ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children hospitalized with 2009 pandemic influenza (pH1N1) in Madrid, Spain.Patients/MethodsWe included patients less than 14 years of age admitted to one of 18 hospitals in Madrid, Spain, between May 1 and November 30, 2009 and diagnosed with pH1N1 by polymerase chain reaction. A retrospective chart review was conducted and data were compared by age, presence of high-risk medical conditions, and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission.ResultsA total of 517 pH1N1 cases were included for final analysis. One hundred and forty-two patients (27·5%) had predisposing underlying illnesses, with immunosuppression (36 children, 7%) and moderate persistent asthma (34, 6·6%) being the most common ones. Patients with underlying medical conditions had longer hospital stays [median 5, interquartile range (IQR) 3-8 days, versus median 4, IQR 3-6, P < 0·001] and required intensive care (20·4% versus 5·9%, P < 0·001) and mechanical ventilation more frequently than previously healthy children. Globally, intensive care was required for 51 patients (10%) and invasive mechanical ventilation for 12 (2%). Pediatric intensive care unit admission was significantly associated with abnormal initial chest X-ray [Odds Ratio (OR) 3·5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·5-8·5], underlying neurological condition (OR 3·1, CI 1·2-7·5) and immunosuppression (OR 2·9, 1·2-6·8). Five patients (0·9%) died; two with severe neurological disease, two with leukemia, and one with a malignant solid tumor.ConclusionsChildren with underlying medical conditions experienced more severe pH1N1 disease. Risk factors for admission to the PICU included underlying neurological conditions, immunosuppression and abnormal initial chest X-ray.© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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