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. 2021 Oct;49(5):907-916.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-021-01610-z. Epub 2021 May 13.

COVID-19 is not "just another flu": a real-life comparison of severe COVID-19 and influenza in hospitalized patients in Vienna, Austria

Erich Pawelka #  1 , Mario Karolyi #  2 , Theresa Mader  2 , Sara Omid  2 , Hasan Kelani  2 , Sebastian Baumgartner  2 , Sarah Ely  3 , Wolfgang Hoepler  2 , Bernd Jilma  3 , Franz Koenig  4 , Hermann Laferl  2 , Marianna Traugott  2 , Michael Turner  2 , Tamara Seitz  2 , Christoph Wenisch  2 , Alexander Zoufaly  2
Affiliations

COVID-19 is not "just another flu": a real-life comparison of severe COVID-19 and influenza in hospitalized patients in Vienna, Austria

Erich Pawelka et al. Infection. 2021 Oct.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is regularly compared to influenza. Mortality and case-fatality rates vary widely depending on incidence of COVID-19 and the testing policy in affected countries. To date, data comparing hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and influenza is scarce.

Methods: Data from patients with COVID-19 were compared to patients infected with influenza A (InfA) and B (InfB) virus during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons. All patients were ≥ 18 years old, had PCR-confirmed infection and needed hospital treatment. Demographic data, medical history, length-of-stay (LOS), complications including in-hospital mortality were analyzed.

Results: In total, 142 patients with COVID-19 were compared to 266 patients with InfA and 300 with InfB. Differences in median age (COVID-19 70.5 years vs InfA 70 years and InfB 77 years, p < 0.001) and laboratory results were observed. COVID-19 patients had fewer comorbidities, but complications (respiratory insufficiency, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, acute heart failure and death) occurred more frequently. Median length-of-stay (LOS) was longer in COVID-19 patients (12 days vs InfA 7 days vs. InfB 7 days, p < 0.001). There was a fourfold higher in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients (23.2%) when compared with InfA (5.6%) or InfB (4.7%; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: In hospitalized patients, COVID-19 is associated with longer LOS, a higher number of complications and higher in-hospital mortality compared to influenza, even in a population with fewer co-morbidities. This data, a high reproduction number and limited treatment options, alongside excess mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, support the containment strategies implemented by most authorities.

Keywords: Austria; COVID-19; Comparison; In-hospital; Influenza; Mortality; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Complications and outcome. Data are expressed as inverse OR. OR > 1, therefore, means the risk for the complication is higher in the SARS-CoV-2 group (e.g.: an OR of 6.25 in the InfB line for in-hospital mortality means the risk for in-hospital mortality is 6.25 times higher for COVID-19 patients. ICU intensive care unit
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cumulative incidence curves for in-hospital mortality and discharged-alive from hospital
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Age group-specific in-hospital mortality rate
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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