Admission to the intensive care unit for respiratory tract infections caused by Coronavirus OC43

Background: Coronavirus OC43 infection causes severe pneumonia in patients with comorbidities, but clinical signs alone are insufficient to identify the virus. Objectives: To analyze the acute manifestations of Coronavirus OC43 infections and the outcomes of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Patients and methods: A retrospective, single-center study conducted during a Coronavirus OC43 outbreak. We used multiplex PCR to detect an OC43 outbreak on Reunion Island during the 2016 Southern Hemisphere winter: seven admissions to the ICU. Results: The mean age of patients was 71 [67;76] years; SAPS II was 42 [28;53]; the pneumonia severity index was 159 [139;182] compared to 73 [40.5;107] for patients in medical wards; and 43% required mechanical ventilation. Comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (87%), chronic respiratory failure (57%), and chronic renal failure (29%). One patient died from Haemophilus influenzae co-infection. Conclusion: As with MERS-CoV infections, underlying comorbidities influenced the clinical outcomes of OC43 infections.

Author(s): Vandroux D, Allou N, Jabot J, Li Pat Yuen G, Brottet E, Roquebert B, Martinet O

Publishing year: 2018

Pages: 141-144

In relation to

Our latest news

news

2026 “Sexual Behavior” Survey (ERAS) for men who have sex with men

news

Hervé Maisonneuve has been appointed scientific integrity officer for a...

Visuel illustratif

news

Public Health France 2026 Barometer: Launch of the Survey