A cross-sectional analysis of symptom severity in adults with influenza and other acute respiratory illness in the outpatient setting

Jeffrey J VanWormer, Maria E Sundaram, Jennifer K Meece, Edward A Belongia

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are common in outpatient practice, and the severity of symptoms contributes to the overall burden of illness. We examined the association between a subjective symptom severity score, demographic and clinical characteristics, and presence of laboratory-confirmed influenza among central Wisconsin adults who sought care for ARI during four influenza seasons. We hypothesized that adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza would rate their symptoms as more severe relative to adults without influenza, and vaccinated adults with influenza would rate symptoms as less severe than those who were not vaccinated.