Nemat Bilan - Pediatric Pulmonologist, Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Farinaz Amirikar - Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship, Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Shamsi Ghaffari - Pediatric Cardiologist, Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Background Influenza viral infections lead to a wide range of respiratory diseases which have an annual pattern and are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality among children. It was found that influenza among children has significant rates of mortality and morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) III scoring system in children with influenza for clinical outcomes of patients. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study, ۵۰ children referred to the Children's Hospital of Tabriz (Iran) with flu symptoms who were admitted to the ward or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were evaluated through the PRISM III model. Results In this study, ۵۰ children (۴۸% female and ۵۲% male) with a mean age range of ۷۰.۲۸ ±۲۲.۴۶ months with the flu were studied. The mean PICU of patients’ hospitalization was ۳۴.۲ ±۳۶.۵ days and the mortality rate was ۱۶%. There was no statistically significant relationship between patient mortality and the variables of age, gender, length of hospitalization in PICU and the length of general hospitalization (p <۰.۰۵). However, only a statistically significant inverse relationship was observed between blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level and patient mortality among other variables evaluated in the PRISM III model (p = ۰.۰۱۶). In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between PRISM III model score and mortality in the studied patients (p = ۰.۰۰۲). Conclusion In the present study, considering the cut-off point ۱۴, the sensitivity and specificity of the PRISM III model in estimating the mortality of children with influenza are equal to ۸۷.۵% and ۸۵.۷%, respectively; so the PRISM III model had excellent diagnostic and estimation power.

Children, flu, Mortality, PRISM III