H1N1 Influenza Virus in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis: A Literature Review Examining Both Disease Entities and Their Association in Light of the 2009 Pandemic

Wiltshire, Dwayne A; Vahora, Ilmaben S; Tsouklidis, Nicholas; Kumar, Rajat; Khan, Safeera

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that is challenging the health sector and negatively impacting the global economy takes us back to the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic that brought the world to a standstill. In 2009, H1N1 became a significant health concern for several months. It mainly affected people under the age of 65 hyears who had no prior immunity, including children. Among the high-risk populations were pregnant patients and those with chronic cardiac, pulmonary, or respiratory diseases. These patients were at risk of developing severe pneumonia and respiratory complications. Cystic fibrosis (CF) represents a form of severe chronic lung disease in young adults and is the major fatal hereditary disorder of Caucasians in the United States. An online search of PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted to find relevant literature that explicitly examines patients with CF and H1N1.