Intussusception hospitalization rate up at age 8 to 11 weeks

(HealthDay)—Children aged 8 to 11 weeks have an increased rate of intussusception hospitalization after introduction of rotavirus vaccine, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Pediatrics.

Jacqueline E. Tate, Ph.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues examined trends in intussusception hospitalizations before and after introduction of rotavirus vaccine (2000 to 2005 and 2007 to 2013, respectively). They abstracted intussusception hospitalizations in children aged younger than 12 months of age from the State Inpatient Database for 26 states. Bridged-race postcensal population estimates were used to calculate rates. Trends were analyzed by age groups, based on the recommended ages for vaccine administration, and at 8 to 11 weeks when most first doses are administered.

The researchers observed no consistent change in intussusception hospitalization rates for all children aged younger than 12 months and for children aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 34 weeks of age. For children aged 8 to 11 weeks, the intussusception hospitalization rate was increased significantly by 46 to 101 percent in all postvaccine years (except 2011 and 2013) compared with the prevaccine baseline (range: 16.7 to 22.9 per 100,000 versus 11.7 per 100,000).

"Given the magnitude of declines in rotavirus disease compared with this small increase in intussusception, the benefits of rotavirus vaccination outweigh the increase risk of intussusception," the authors write.

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