Chronically ill children need flu treatment quickly
By Dipali Pathak
With flu season looming, it's important for parents who have children with chronic health conditions to know that their youngsters should be treated quickly with flu-fighting drugs, said an expert at Baylor College of Medicine.
The drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) should be prescribed as soon as it's suspected the child has influenza, reported Pedro Piedra, M.D., professor of molecular virology and microbiology and pediatrics at BCM and lead author of a study that appeared in the journal Pediatrics.
"This study demonstrates that individuals who have underlying medical conditions and thereby are at greater risk from complications from influenza benefit significantly from the use of Tamiflu early in their disease process," said Piedra.
Reducing risks
Using health-claims data from six influenza seasons, researchers found that children and adolescents between the ages of 1 and 17 who were at high risk of influenza complications showed significant reductions in the risks of respiratory illnesses other than pneumonia. It also reduced the risk of otitis media (a middle ear infection) and hospitalization within 14 days of the influenza diagnosis. Significant risk reductions were also apparent 30 days after the influenza diagnosis.
Piedra noted the importance of diagnosing the influenza virus using a confirmatory test, which led to a higher likelihood of prescribing Tamiflu.
"If you are not thinking about the flu, you are not thinking about how to treat the flu," said Piedra.
Antivirals and swine flu
He also noted the significance this will have with the current H1N1 (swine influenza) pandemic in which antiviral treatment is important.
"If we have a major wave in the fall months and the vaccines are not yet available, antiviral treatments will be the only way we have to either prevent or treat H1N1 (swine influenza)," said Piedra.
Others who contributed to this study include Kathy L. Schulman of Thomson Reuters and Dr. William A. Blumentals of Roche. Funding for this study came from Roche.
