Review: fever and cough are the most accurate single tests for diagnosing influenza
Q In patients with influenza-like illnesses, what is the accuracy of clinical signs and symptoms for diagnosing influenza?
METHODS
Data sources:
Medline (1966 to September 2004) and bibliographies of relevant articles.
Study selection and assessment:
published studies on the assessment of clinical signs and symptoms as predictors of influenza; prospective cohort, randomised controlled trial, or meta-analysis study designs; ⩾1 outcome being influenza type A or B infection; and independent blinded comparison of signs or symptoms with a criterion standard in consecutive patients who might have influenza. Quality assessment criteria included study design and validity of criterion standard.
Outcomes:
likelihood ratios and diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) of clinical signs and symptoms. The DOR was calculated as the odds of signs or symptoms …
