Predictive clinicopathological features derived from systematic autopsy examination of patients who died with A/H1N1 influenza infection in the UK 2009-10 pandemic

Lucas S
Record ID 32011000119
English
Authors' objectives:

To gather all the available clinical pathology information from autopsies performed on patients – adults and children – dying with known or suspected influenza A/H1N1 infection, across the UK.
To evaluate comorbidities present in these deceased patients; correlate them with the H1N1-related pathology and treatment-associated pathology, determine their relative contributions and estimate the significant features associated with death.

Authors' recommendations: Corroborated from the UK data, the major comorbidities associated with death from H1N1 infection were: obesity, chronic respiratory disease and pregnancy. Young age at death was confirmed. Congenital disease in children and learning difficulties in adults were also important, but diabetes was not. This methodology of gathering data for research has potential for use in other public health questions, but is dependent on the co-operation of the medico-legal services (which have no accountability to the Department of Health or the NHS). The almost complete lack of academic investigative consented autopsies is regrettable, and indicates a lack of interest among clinicians in the clinical autopsy process, and/or an unwillingness to approach relatives for such consent.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2010
URL for published report: http://www.hta.ac.uk/project/2226.asp
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Asthma
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Young Adult
  • Autopsy
  • Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype
  • Influenza, Human
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: 2010 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.