Study Recommends Treating Flu Patients with Antiviral Medications

Even though flu shots are available, every year over 200,000 Americans are hospitalized because of the flu and its complications. In addition, approximately 36,000 people die because of flu complications every year. Both the very young, and older, people are at the greatest risk for developing complications due to the flu.

Researchers from three different universities collaborated on this study. In a recent press release, they advised that they had determined that administering antiviral medication to patients within three to four days of contracting the flu helped people recover quicker.

Antiviral medications helped both young, healthy people, and older people, recover from the flu quicker without having nearly as many complications as those who had not been given antiviral treatment.

While previous research demonstrated the many benefits of treating healthy, young adults with antiviral medications, no other studies have been conducted on our growing elderly population.

Ideally, patients would be given antiviral medications within three or four days of having flu symptoms. Once given antiviral medications, most people were able to rid their body of the influenza virus.

This research supports the use of antiviral medications to treat people hospitalized with influenza. Few people realize how many people are hospitalized every year due to the flu and its complications.

"Antiviral medications are very safe, have no significant drug interactions, and relatively few side effects. You don't, however, want to take them if you don't need them. As with antibiotics, there is a risk of selection for antiviral resistance and it is important to use the medications only where there is a clear benefit," said Allison McGeer, M.D. and the lead author of this study.

Researchers were quick to point out that they are not recommending that people go without influenza immunizations. Flu vaccines are helpful, cost-effective, and effective at protecting thousands of people from becoming infected with the influenza virus.

This study determined that despite recent advances in influenza immunizations, the rate of hospitalization and death rate due to complications of the flu are still high. They recommend that research be continued to find better influenza vaccinations that will protect more of our population.

The study was based upon data for over 300 adults who had been hospitalized due to influenza complications. Nearly one-third of the patients whose records were analyzed had received antiviral medications. Antiviral medications played a significant role in reducing the death rate of patients who were infected with the flu.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Invasive Bacterial Diseases Network, and the University of Toronto conducted this study. It has been published in the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/idso-ard111207.php