Influenza management with new therapies

Influenza (flu) is a global problem that substantially contributes worldwide to the impact related to respiratory diseases, including lower respiratory tract infection and failure, hospitalization and death rates. The seasonality of epidemics is mainly recorded during the winter period in temperate climates. About 1 billion cases of influenza are estimated each year, of which about 3-5 million develop severe pathology with a 0.1-0.2% case-fatality rate (between 290,000 and 650,000 influenza-related deaths). Several treatments are described in literature, aiming to reduce the duration of the disease, the onset of complications and thus the overall related mortality, and to support patient's vital functions during severe forms of influenza-related pneumonia. The aim of this review was to describe these treatments and to report the state of scientific evidence, ranging from antivirals, passing through steroids, and accounting for various extracorporeal support techniques. This review highlights the present lack of high-quality studies to answer questions about current treatment efficacy, mostly in terms of hospital and/or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) length of stay, and outcome.