Patchy Consolidation, often Bilateral, was the Most Common Chest X-ray Finding Associated with A(H1N1) Infection?

In a recent study done on 66 out of 222 patients with A(H1N1) from May to July 2009 at a hospital in Michigan, who also had chest radiography findings done as part of the clinical work-up, it was found that the

• initial radiograph was abnormal in 28 of the 66 patients (42%)
• with patchy consolidation in 14 out of these 28 (50%)
• ground-glass opacities in 7 out of 28 (25%), and
• ground-glass opacities mixed with consolidation in 7 (25%)
• the abnormalities were bilateral in 20 of the 28 patients (71%)
• located in the lower lung zones in 20 (71%), and
• diffuse in 7 (25%).

In short, these results suggest that H1N1-associated chest x-ray abnormalities tend to be dependent (i.e., in the lower lungs) and patchy consolidation, often bilateral, was the most common finding chest X-ray finding. Nevertheless, much of its mechanism remain unknown pending further larger studies.

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