[Hospitalization due to whooping cough in Spain (1997-2011)].
BACKGROUND
Pertussis incidence has increased in recent years in countries with high vaccination coverage. The aim of this study was to determine the health impact of pertussis in Spain in the period 1997-2011 in relation to hospitalizations, mortality, and associated costs.


METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed hospital discharges included in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) in Spain for the period 1997-2011, with a primary or secondary diagnosis related to pertussis. We calculated incidence rates of hospitalization for pertussis (per 100,000) per year, by age group and by Autonomous Region, along with the mortality and lethality rates.


RESULTS
A total of 8,331 hospital discharges with a diagnosis of pertussis were recorded in Spain between 1997 and 2011. The overall incidence of pertussis hospitalizations was 1.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The large majority (92%) of hospitalizations occurred in children under one year of age, with an incidence of 115.2 hospitalizations per 100,000. There were 47 deaths, 37 (79%) in the group of children under 1 year and 6 (13%) in the group older than 65 years. The estimated cost of hospitalization for pertussis was 1,841 euros.


CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiology of severe cases of pertussis, and its clinical and economic impact, confirms the need to modify the vaccination strategies for Spain to achieve more effective control in the most vulnerable groups.
Departamento de Enfermería, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: MariaIsabel.FernandezC@uab.cat.
María Isabel
MI
Fernández-Cano
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiología, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
Lluís
L
Armadans-Gil
Servicio de Estadísticas Sanitarias, Instituto de Información Sanitaria, Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, Madrid, España.
Mercedes
M
Alvarez-Bartolomé
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiología, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
José Ángel
JÁ
Rodrigo-Pendás
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiología, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
Magda
M
Campins-Martí
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
Encuesta nacional de altas hospitalarias; Epidemiology; Epidemiología; Health care surveys; Hospitalización; Hospitalization; Información sanitaria; National hospital discharge survey; Tos ferina; Whooping cough