title: Hospitalizations associated with salmonellosis among seniors in Canada, 2000-2010.
abstract: Salmonella is one of the most prevalent bacteria associated with enteric illness in Canada and seniors are considered a vulnerable population more likely to develop severe illness. In the coming decades, hospitalizations and deaths associated with Salmonella in seniors could represent a challenge due to an aging population in Canada. The numbers of non-typhoidal (NT) Salmonella-related hospitalizations from the Canadian Hospitalization Morbidity Database were analysed for a period of 10 years for seniors. Hospitalization rate calculations and descriptive analyses were performed on variables associated with the burden of hospitalization and compared with the adult age group. Estimates of hospitalizations and deaths associated with domestically acquired Salmonella (accounting for under-reporting) were also calculated. This study found that 50% of the NT Salmonella-related hospitalization and 82% of the deaths recorded in the Canadian adult population occurred in seniors. The length of hospitalization stay was also longer in seniors (7 days) than other adults (4 days). We estimated that each year, 535 hospitalizations and 27 deaths are related to domestically acquired Salmonella in seniors. Senior populations represent a substantial percentage of Salmonella-related hospitalizations and deaths in Canada and the burden associated with those hospitalizations is also greater. This should be considered when developing estimates of medical costs and implementing prevention activities.
authors.affiliation: National Microbiology Laboratory at Saint-Hyacinthe,Public Health Agency of Canada,Saint-Hyacinthe,Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.affiliation: Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Public Health Agency of Canada,Guelph,Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Public Health Agency of Canada,Guelph,Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nesbitt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012475:Salmonella / Q000502:physiology*; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: Burden of illness; hospitalization; salmonella; seniors