Oseltamivir Linked to Reduced Neuropsychiatric Risks in Children With Flu

A recent study published in JAMA Neurology examined the relationship between oseltamivir use and neuropsychiatric events in children and adolescents with influenza. The findings provide new data on the potential benefits of antiviral treatment during flu episodes in this population.

The research focused on children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 who were enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid between July 2016 and June 2020. The study compared the risk of serious neuropsychiatric events during influenza episodes treated with oseltamivir to those that were untreated.

During the four-year study period, 692,295 children were included in the analysis. Among these participants, 1,230 serious neuropsychiatric events were documented, which included 898 neurologic events and 332 psychiatric events.

What the numbers show

• 151,401 influenza episodes were identified among the study group
• 66.7% of flu episodes were treated with oseltamivir
• Incidence rate ratio for serious neuropsychiatric events was 0.53 during treatment and 0.42 posttreatment
• Reduction in risk was more pronounced for neurologic events (IRR 0.45) than psychiatric events (IRR 0.80

The data showed that among the influenza episodes, 66.7% received oseltamivir treatment. Within the high-risk subgroup for influenza complications, 60.1% of episodes were treated with the antiviral medication.

Analysis indicated that the risk of serious neuropsychiatric events was lower during periods when oseltamivir was used to treat influenza compared to periods without antiviral treatment. The incidence rate ratio for these events was 0.53 during treatment and 0.42 in the posttreatment period, compared to untreated episodes.

Further breakdown of the results revealed that the reduction in risk was more substantial for neurologic events, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.45, than for psychiatric events, which had an incidence rate ratio of 0.80. This suggests that the protective association was stronger for certain types of neuropsychiatric outcomes.

The study authors stated that their findings support the view that influenza infection itself, rather than oseltamivir treatment, is associated with serious neuropsychiatric events. They also stated that oseltamivir may help prevent such events in children and adolescents with influenza.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.