In a clinical setting there are over a dozen respiratory pathogens (viral and bacterial) that are commonly encountered. A clinician needs to know which of these are infecting a patient in order to prescribe effective treatment (e.g. knowing whether an antiviral or an antibiotic is likely to be effective), and to control the spread of infection.
Following are some critical factors that a clinical lab needs to consider when determining if testing for respiratory viruses is needed:
- Unfortunately, determining the source of a respiratory infection using traditional methods can be challenging. As a result, rather than using a diagnostic test, many physicians send patients with flu-like symptoms home without treatment or perhaps treat them with the wrong medications. It is not surprising then that a recent New England Journal of Medicine study of children with influenza showed that only 28% of hospitalized and 17% of outpatient children were accurately diagnosed by their physician (Poehling, K. A., K. M. Edwards, et al. 2006. “The under recognized burden of influenza in young children.” N Engl J Med 355(1): 31-40).
- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) state that viral infections are a major cause of hospitalizations in young children and the elderly, and represent the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (source).
- Annual direct and indirect costs of respiratory infections are estimated at more than US $10 billion per year (White House Government National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza)
- Every year over 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with influenza and 36,000 of them die. (source)
Given the consequences, early detection is critically important both to improve individual patient outcomes and to prevent the spread of disease. Comprehensive, fast, and accurate testing for respiratory viruses, if established as the standard of care, could substantially lower health care costs and potentially save lives.
Why is your diagnostics lab testing or not testing for respiratory viruses?