title: Hospitalizations Attributable to Respiratory Infections among Children with Neurologic Disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize respiratory infection hospitalizations in children with neurologic disorders and to compare them with those of the general pediatric population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed claims data from commercial insurance and Medicaid enrollees < 19 years of age from July 2006 to June 2011 who had ≥ 1 visit with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, diagnosis code for a neurologic disorder. We identified hospitalizations with primary diagnosis codes indicating a respiratory infection and compared hospitalization rates with random samples of children from the commercial and Medicaid databases (comparison groups).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 33,651923 children, 255,046 (0.76%) had ≥ 1 neurologic condition. Among children with neurologic conditions, 8249 of 68,717 hospitalizations (12%) were attributed to a respiratory infection (rate: 21/1000 person-years), although rates varied by disorder. Children with neurologic disorders had greater rates than children in comparison groups (relative rate: Commercial Claims 7.4 [95% CI 7.1-7.7]; Medicaid 5.0 [95% CI 4.8-5.2]). Children < 2 years were most likely to be hospitalized, although those 10-18 years were 14.5 (95% CI 13.3-16.7) times more likely to be hospitalized than age-matched comparison groups. Co-occurring deafness, blindness, and scoliosis were associated with increased respiratory hospitalization rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with neurologic disorders are at 5- to 7-fold greater risk for hospitalization from respiratory infections compared with all children, although rates vary widely by disorder type, age, and comorbidities. Children with specific neurologic disorders and those who had co-occurring conditions have the highest rates.
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: fhavers@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Havers
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Alicia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Jufu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Development and Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Finelli
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003638:Deafness / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology