Influenza : Treatment

IV. Which patients with suspected or confirmed influenza should be treated with antivirals?

18. Clinicians should start antiviral treatment as soon as possible for adults and children with documented or suspected influenza, irrespective of influenza vaccination history, who meet the following criteria:
    • Persons of any age who are hospitalized with influenza, regardless of illness duration prior to hospitalization (A-II).
    • Outpatients of any age with severe or progressive illness, regardless of illness duration (A-III).
    • Outpatients who are at high risk of complications from influenza, including those with chronic medical conditions and immunocompromised patients (A-II).
    • Children younger than 2 years and adults ≥65 years (A-III).
    • Pregnant women and those within 2 weeks postpartum (A-III).

19. Clinicians can consider antiviral treatment for adults and children who are not at high risk of influenza complications, with documented or suspected influenza, irrespective of influenza vaccination history, who are either:
    • Outpatients with illness onset ≤2 days before presentation (C-I).
    • Symptomatic outpatients who are household contacts of persons who are at high risk of developing complications from influenza, particularly those who are severely immunocompromised (C-III).
    • Symptomatic healthcare providers who care for patients who are at high risk of developing complications from influenza, particularly those who are severely immunocompromised (C-III)

V. For patients who are recommended to receive antiviral treatment for suspected or confirmed influenza, which antiviral should be prescribed, at what dosing, and for what duration?

20. Clinicians should start antiviral treatment as soon as possible with a single neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) (either oral oseltamivir, inhaled zanamivir, or intravenous peramivir) and not use a combination of NAIs (A-I).
21. Clinicians should not routinely use higher doses of US Food and Drug Administration–approved NAI drugs for the treatment of seasonal influenza (A-II).
22. Clinicians should treat uncomplicated influenza in otherwise healthy ambulatory patients for 5 days with oral oseltamivir or inhaled zanamivir, or a single dose of intravenous peramivir (A-I).
23. Clinicians can consider longer duration of antiviral treatment for patients with a documented or suspected immunocompromising condition or patients requiring hospitalization for severe lower respiratory tract disease (especially pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS]), as influenza viral replication is often protracted (C-III).

VI. In a patient with suspected or confirmed influenza, when should bacterial coinfectoin of the upper or lower respiratory tract be considered, investigated, and treated?

24. Clinicians should investigate and empirically treat bacterial coinfection in patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed influenza who present initially with severe disease (extensive pneumonia, respiratory failure, hypotension, and fever), in addition to antiviral treatment for influenza (A-II).
25. Clinicians should investigate and empirically treat bacterial coinfection in patients who deteriorate after initial improvement, particularly in those treated with antivirals (A-III).
26. Clinicians can consider investigating bacterial coinfection in patients who fail to improve after 3–5 days of antiviral treatment (C-III).

VII. If a patient with influenza does not demonstrate clinical improvement with antiviral treatment or demonstrates clinical deterioration during or after treatment, what additional testing and therapy should be considered?

27. Clinicians should investigate other causes besides influenza virus infection in influenza patients who fail to improve or deteriorate despite antiviral treatment (A-III).

VIII. When should testing be done for infection with an antiviral-resistant influenza virus?

28. Influenza NAI resistance testing can be considered for:
    • Patients who develop laboratory-confirmed influenza while on or immediately after NAI chemoprophylaxis (C-III).
    • Patients with an immunocompromising condition and evidence of persistent influenza viral replication (eg, after 7–10 days, demonstrated by persistently positive RT-PCR or viral culture results) and remain ill during or after NAI treatment (B-III).
    • Patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza who inadvertently received subtherapeutic NAI dosing (C-III).
    • Patients with severe influenza who do not improve with NAI treatment and have evidence of persistent influenza viral replication (eg, after 7–10 days) (C-II).

29. Clinicians should remain informed on current CDC and World Health Organization surveillance data on the frequency and geographic distribution of NAI-resistant influenza viruses during influenza season, and with the latest CDC antiviral treatment recommendations (A-III).

IX. Should adjunctive therapy be administered to patients with suspected or confirmed influenza?

30. Clinicians should not administer corticosteroid adjunctive therapy for the treatment of adults or children with suspected or confirmed seasonal influenza, influenza-associated pneumonia, respiratory failure, or ARDS, unless clinically indicated for other reasons (A-III).
31. Clinicians should not routinely administer immunomodulation using immunoglobulin preparations such as intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of adults or children with suspected or confirmed seasonal influenza (A-III).

https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/influenza/