Comparison of clinical and biochemical features of hospitalized COVID‐19 and influenza pneumonia patients

Abstract

Both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and influenza viruses cause similar clinical presentations. It is essential to assess severely ill patients presenting with a viral syndrome for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. We aimed to compare clinical and biochemical features between pneumonia patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and H1N1. Sixty patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 pneumonia and 61 patients diagnosed with influenza pneumonia were hospitalized between October 2020–January 2021 and October 2017–December 2019, respectively. All the clinical data and laboratory results, chest computed tomography scans, intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. The median age was 65 (range 32–96) years for patients with a COVID‐19 diagnosis and 58 (range 18–83) years for patients with influenza ( p = 0.002). The comorbidity index was significantly higher in patients with COVID‐19 ( p = 0.010). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were statistically significantly more common in patients with COVID‐19 ( p = 0.019, p = 0.008, respectively). The distribution of severe disease and mortality was not significantly different among patients with COVID‐19 than influenza patients ( p = 0.096, p = 0.049).). In comparison with inflammation markers; C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in influenza patients than patients with COVID‐19 ( p = 0.033). The presence of sputum was predictive for influenza (odds ratio [OR] 0.342 [95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1.130–0.899]). CRP and platelet were also predictive for COVID‐19 (OR 4.764 [95% CI, 1.003–1.012] and OR 0.991 [95% CI 0.984–0.998], respectively. We conclude that sputum symptoms by itself are much more detected in influenza patients. Besides that, lower CRP and higher PLT count would be discriminative for COVID‐19.

Dual role of Glycoconjugates and Binding Receptors in pathogenesis of Enveloped Viruses (by main focusing on two recent pandemics)

“…DC-SIGN and MR preferentially bind pyranose sugars, in particular mannose. DC-SIGN is bound to fucosylated glycans in addition to high-mannose glycans (Refs 1,8).…”

“…Gastrointestinal symptoms are one of the factors that can help distinguish COVID-19 patients from other acute respiratory illnesses in the ambulatory population. COVID-19 pandemic patients had a worse prognosis, that is, an increase in the use of mechanical ventilation, longer hospital and intensive care unit duration and higher mortality (Refs 7,8).…”

“…In animal models, the platelet count decreases with the degree of virus pathogenicity varying from 0% in animals infected with the influenza A/H3N2 virus, to 22% in those with the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus, up to 62% in animals with a highly pathogenic A/H5N1 virus infection. Findings from clinical reports and animal-model influenza virus infection have led to a proposed mechanism (Refs 7,8,34).…”

“…Notable, the similar symptoms and severity of infections by the original and mutated forms of mentioned viruses have been attributed to multiple glycan-receptor binding that easily evades immune-susceptible cells, deceives innate and adaptive immunity, causes systemic spread and the cytokine storm production that is common to severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 and highly pathogenic influenza virus subtypes H1N1, H7N9, H9N2/G1 (Refs 6,8).…”

Blood Features Associated with Viral Infection Severity: An Experience from COVID-19-Pandemic Patients Hospitalized in the Center of Iran, Yazd

“…The signs and symptoms of many viral diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, acute influenza (H1N1/H5N1/H7N9), dengue fever, and human acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, are clinically very similar. However, reports about the underlying mechanism of organ injuries in these viral infections are still limited [ 1 – 3 ]. It is unclear why severe illness and death occur only in a small subset of viral infections that primarily target the lungs of patients.…”