| Title | Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS) for clinical detection of influenza in children. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2014 |
| Authors | Fischer JB, Prasad PA, Coffin SE, Alpern ER, Mistry RD |
| Journal | Clin Pediatr (Phila) |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pagination | 1174-80 |
| Date Published | 2014 Oct |
| ISSN | 1938-2707 |
| Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Comorbidity, Diagnosis, Differential, Emergency Service, Hospital, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Influenza, Human, Male, Orthomyxoviridae, Severity of Illness Index |
| Abstract | BACKGROUND: Validated clinical scales, such as the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS), have not been used to differentiate influenza (FLU) from other respiratory viruses. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort presenting to the emergency department (ED) with an influenza-like infection from 2008 to 2010. Subjects were children aged 0 to 19 years who had a venipuncture and respiratory virus polymerase chain reaction. Demographics and CARIFS items were assessed during the ED visit; comparisons were made between FLU and non-FLU subjects. RESULTS: The 203 subjects had median age 30.5 months; 61.6% were male. Comorbid conditions (51.2%) were common. FLU was identified in 26.6%, and were older than non-FLU patients (69.7 vs 47.9 months, P = .02). Demographic, household factors, and mean CARIFS score did not differ between FLU (33.7), and non-FLU (32.0) (mean difference 1.6, 95% CI: -2.0 to 5.2) groups. CONCLUSIONS: CARIFS cannot discriminate between FLU and non-FLU infection in ED children with influenza-like infection. |
| DOI | 10.1177/0009922814542608 |
| Alternate Journal | Clin Pediatr (Phila) |
| PubMed ID | 25009116 |