To describe the incidence rate and clinical outcomes of intussusception in Australia in children aged <24 months prior to the use of rotavirus vaccines in Australia, and to explore associations between patient characteristics and outcomes in children with intussusception.
Methods
This study used Australian national hospital discharge data on intussusception from July 2000 to June 2006 for children aged <24 months and data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as a proxy for population numbers to estimate incidence. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between patient characteristics (age, sex, ethnicity) and outcomes (length of hospital stay >2 days and the need for surgical intervention).
Results
The overall incidence rate of intussusception was 5.4 per 10,000 child‐years in children under 24 months (95%CI 5.17–5.70). There was a declining rate over the study period (p<0.001). Age at time of intussusception was strongly associated with length of hospital stay and surgery.
Conclusions
This study provides an estimate of the pre‐rotavirus vaccine incidence of intussusception across Australia, which is important for monitoring the occurrence of intussusceptions post the introduction of rotavirus vaccine.
Key words
intussusception
rotavirus vaccine
children
epidemiology
Cited by (0)
The authors have stated they have no conflict of interest.