HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by West, S D Articles by Brunskill, N J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by West, S D Articles by Brunskill, N J

Complications associated with influenza infection

Department of Nephrology, Leicester General Hospital, Gwendolen Road, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Brunskill

Submitted 16 March 2001
Accepted 14 June 2001

An otherwise healthy non-smoking 59 year old welder gave a two week history of flu-like symptoms and a one week history of progressive shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, and cough productive of purulent sputum.

On examination he was unwell with a pyrexia and an oxygen saturation of 87% on air. He had atrial fibrillation with a pulse of 150 beats/min and blood pressure of 109/69 mm Hg. He was jaundiced with epigastric and right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness. Respiratory examination revealed tachypnoea, right mid-zone coarse crepitations, and a right sided pleural rub.

Investigations showed a raised white cell count with a neutrophilia, significant renal impairment with a urea concentration of 23.3 mmol/l and creatinine of 248 µmol/l, oxygen pressure of 7.1 kPa and carbon dioxide pressure of 2.5 kPa on air, and an abnormal chest radiograph with consolidation of his right middle lobe (fig 1A). Liver . . . [Full text of this article]