title: The epidemiology of hospitalized children with pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema from 1997 to 2004 in Taiwan.
abstract: Pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema have an important impact on the health of children worldwide. There has been no epidemiological study of pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema in Taiwan, a middle-income Asian population. Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance database, we collected and analyzed data obtain from medical care claims related to pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema for children below the 18 years old from 1997 to 2004. We found the annual population-based incidence to have significant year to year increases and the average annual incidences of pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema in children under five to be 44.9 and 10.5 episodes per 100,000 children-year, respectively. About 64% of children with pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema were under 5 years old. Children 4 to 5 years old had the highest incidences of both pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema. Incidence was the highest each spring. The odds ratio of the case fatality among pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia patients complicated with empyema to those without was 118 (95% confidence interval 28-492). In conclusion, the population-based incidences of pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema among children under five in Taiwan were 44.9 and 10.5 episodes per 100,000 children-year, respectively, and 4- to 5-year-old children had the highest incidences of both pneumococcal/lobar pneumonia and empyema. This population might benefit from a universal pneumococcal vaccination program which might cover about 70% of invasive pneumococcal diseases in Taiwanese children under 5 years old.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taipei Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ping-Sheng
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: I-Shou
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chun-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Pei-Lan
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Fang-Yu
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Luan-Yin
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004653:Empyema / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology