Observational studyBMC infectious diseases2021
Characteristics of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seasonal influenza at time of hospital admission: a single center comparative study.
Observational study in BMC infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Differences in clinical characteristics between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza: a systematic review and meta-analysis.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Signs and symptoms to determine if a patient presenting in primary care or hospital outpatient settings has COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Influenza A vs. COVID-19: A Retrospective Comparison of Hospitalized Patients in a Post-Pandemic Setting.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Single-Center Experience in Detecting Influenza Virus, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 at the Emergency Department.Viruses · 2023Article
- Clinical Features of COVID-19, Dengue, and Influenza among Adults Presenting to Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Clinics-Puerto Rico, 2012-2021.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- Women Are More Infected and Seek Care Faster but Are Less Severely Ill: Gender Gaps in COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality during Two Years of a Pandemic in Israel.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Utilizing Baidu Index to Track Online Interest in Influenza During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China.Cureus · 2022Article
- A one-pot CRISPR/Cas13a-based contamination-free biosensor for low-cost and rapid nucleic acid diagnostics.Biosensors & bioelectronics · 2022Article
- Comparison of patient characteristics and in-hospital mortality between patients with COVID-19 in 2020 and those with influenza in 2017-2020: a multicenter, retrospective cohort study in Japan.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2022Article
- Study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in urban environment by questionnaire and modeling for sustainable risk control.Journal of hazardous materials · 2021Article
- Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Due to COVID-19 in Brazil.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Performance of Diagnostic Model for Differentiating Between COVID-19 and Influenza: A 2-Center Retrospective Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the future, co-circulation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses A/B is likely. From a clinical point of view, differentiation of the two disease entities is crucial for patient management. We therefore aim to detect clinical differences between Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seasonal influenza patients at time of hospital admission.
methodsIn this single-center observational study, we included all consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 or influenza between November 2019 and May 2020. Data were extracted from a nationwide surveillance program and from electronic health records. COVID-19 and influenza patients were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, clinical presentation and outcome. We used recursive partitioning to generate a classification tree to discriminate COVID-19 from influenza patients.
resultsWe included 96 COVID-19 and 96 influenza patients. Median age was 68 vs. 70 years (p = 0.90), 72% vs. 56% (p = 0.024) were males, and median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 1 vs. 2 (p = 0.027) in COVID-19 and influenza patients, respectively. Time from symptom onset to hospital admission was longer for COVID-19 (median 7 days, IQR 3-10) than for influenza patients (median 3 days, IQR 2-5, p < 0.001). Other variables favoring a diagnosis of COVID-19 in the classification tree were higher systolic blood pressure, lack of productive sputum, and lack of headache. The tree classified 86/192 patients (45%) into two subsets with ≥80% of patients having influenza or COVID-19, respectively. In-hospital mortality was higher for COVID-19 patients (16% vs. 5%, p = 0.018).
conclusionDiscriminating COVID-19 from influenza patients based on clinical presentation is challenging. Time from symptom onset to hospital admission is considerably longer in COVID-19 than in influenza patients and showed the strongest discriminatory power in our classification tree. Although they had fewer comorbidities, in-hospital mortality was higher for COVID-19 patients.
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