title: Excess pneumonia and influenza associated hospitalization during influenza epidemics in the United States, 1970-78.
abstract: In this study, excess rates of pneumonia and influenza (P&I) associated hospitalization during influenza A epidemics which occurred in the United States between 1970-78 were computed utilizing unpublished data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS). Excesses occurred at rates of 35, 93, and 370 per 100,000 persons per epidemic for age groups 15-44, 45-64, and 65+ years. There was no evidence of a persisting excess or a compensatory decline in P&I hospitalization during post-epidemic months. An average excess of about 172,000 hospitalizations per epidemic at a cost in excess of $300 million was computed. The study quantifies a major impact of epidemic influenza upon health and health services, much of which may be preventable, and illustrates an important use of unpublished data contained in the NHDS.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States