Carga asistencial por gastroenteritis aguda por rotavirus en menores de 5 años en España 2004-2005

Abstract

Subjects and methodsThe incidence of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in children aged <5 years in primary care, emergency room and hospital settings in Spain was estimated as part of REVEAL (Rotavirus Gastroenteritis Epidemiology and Viral types in Europe Accounting for Losses in public health and society) a prospective, multicenter, observational study conducted during the 2004-2005 season in specific areas of 7 EU countries. ResultsA total of 801 children with AGE were included. Of these, 32.64% were positive for rotavirus identified by ELISA. Extrapolating the results to children showed an estimated annual incidence of RVGE of 4.73% in children aged <5 years, and an even higher incidence in those aged 6-23 months. The population-wide presence of RVAGE was estimated at 31.18%. ConclusionsRotavirus infections account for a significant proportion of AGE cases in children aged < 5 years in Spain, most of which require frequent primary care consultation or emergency room and/or hospital care. This study provides essential data to evaluate the impact that routine rotavirus vaccination in infants aged <6 months could have on the substantial burden of this very frequent and potentially serious childhood disease.