Growth, morbidity and mortality after chickenpox infection in young children in Guinea-Bissau
(2005) In Journal of Infection 51(4). p.307-313- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To examine whether chickenpox in children below 2 years of age is associated with post-infection changes in growth, morbidity or mortality. METHODS: An outbreak of chickenpox was investigated in Guinea-Bissau. An examination, interview and anthropometry were performed 6 months after the epidemic for a group of children and matched controls whose weight had been measured at the time of the chickenpox episode. All children diagnosed with chickenpox before 2 years of age were followed for survival and hospitalisations to the age of 3 years and compared with all other children in the community. RESULTS: At the 6-month follow-up, skin infections tended to be more frequent in cases (p<0.06) and more cases had used antibiotics... (More)
- OBJECTIVE: To examine whether chickenpox in children below 2 years of age is associated with post-infection changes in growth, morbidity or mortality. METHODS: An outbreak of chickenpox was investigated in Guinea-Bissau. An examination, interview and anthropometry were performed 6 months after the epidemic for a group of children and matched controls whose weight had been measured at the time of the chickenpox episode. All children diagnosed with chickenpox before 2 years of age were followed for survival and hospitalisations to the age of 3 years and compared with all other children in the community. RESULTS: At the 6-month follow-up, skin infections tended to be more frequent in cases (p<0.06) and more cases had used antibiotics within the last month (p<0.03). Although there had been no difference before chickenpox infection, girls with chickenpox infection had significantly higher weight, height and larger arm-circumferences than controls (all p<0.01). After chickenpox infection, the incidence of hospitalisation and long-term mortality was the same for cases and other children in the community (respectively, incidence rate ratio=1.16 (0.77-1.74) and mortality ratio=0.74 (0.39-1.41)). CONCLUSION: Though chickenpox may be associated with increased short-term morbidity, it does not appear to have any negative long-term effect on growth, severe morbidity and survival of young children. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1132893
- author
- Poulsen, Anja ; Cabral, Fernando ; Nielsen, Jens ; Roth, Adam LU ; Lisse, Ida and Aaby, Peter
- publishing date
- 2005
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Chickenpox, Long-term consequence, Mortality, Growth, Infection, Varicella zoster virus
- in
- Journal of Infection
- volume
- 51
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 307 - 313
- publisher
- W.B. Saunders
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:16291283
- scopus:28044446583
- ISSN
- 1532-2742
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jinf.2004.09.004
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 409a0a67-c761-404a-8092-1f1dad97b126 (old id 1132893)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 15:47:22
- date last changed
- 2022-04-22 17:27:39
@article{409a0a67-c761-404a-8092-1f1dad97b126, abstract = {{OBJECTIVE: To examine whether chickenpox in children below 2 years of age is associated with post-infection changes in growth, morbidity or mortality. METHODS: An outbreak of chickenpox was investigated in Guinea-Bissau. An examination, interview and anthropometry were performed 6 months after the epidemic for a group of children and matched controls whose weight had been measured at the time of the chickenpox episode. All children diagnosed with chickenpox before 2 years of age were followed for survival and hospitalisations to the age of 3 years and compared with all other children in the community. RESULTS: At the 6-month follow-up, skin infections tended to be more frequent in cases (p<0.06) and more cases had used antibiotics within the last month (p<0.03). Although there had been no difference before chickenpox infection, girls with chickenpox infection had significantly higher weight, height and larger arm-circumferences than controls (all p<0.01). After chickenpox infection, the incidence of hospitalisation and long-term mortality was the same for cases and other children in the community (respectively, incidence rate ratio=1.16 (0.77-1.74) and mortality ratio=0.74 (0.39-1.41)). CONCLUSION: Though chickenpox may be associated with increased short-term morbidity, it does not appear to have any negative long-term effect on growth, severe morbidity and survival of young children.}}, author = {{Poulsen, Anja and Cabral, Fernando and Nielsen, Jens and Roth, Adam and Lisse, Ida and Aaby, Peter}}, issn = {{1532-2742}}, keywords = {{Chickenpox; Long-term consequence; Mortality; Growth; Infection; Varicella zoster virus}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{4}}, pages = {{307--313}}, publisher = {{W.B. Saunders}}, series = {{Journal of Infection}}, title = {{Growth, morbidity and mortality after chickenpox infection in young children in Guinea-Bissau}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2004.09.004}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.jinf.2004.09.004}}, volume = {{51}}, year = {{2005}}, }