A new study indicates that complications of varicella have significant health and economic burden on secondary care in England.
Researchers identified varicella admissions across all NHS hospitals in England between 2004 and 2017 through secondary care electronic health records.
From 2004-2005 to 2016-2017, the incidence of hospitalisation for varicella increased by 25 per cent and the proportion of admissions with complicated varicella increased by 8 per cent. Most common varicella complications included bacterial skin infections (11.25%), neurological complications (8.83%), gastrointestinal complications (5.99%) and respiratory complications (5.45%). Older individuals had a higher rate of complications as a percentage of varicella admissions and more severe type of complications than younger patients. Complicated varicella was associated with three times longer hospital stay and ~70 per cent higher inpatient costs than uncomplicated varicella.
Writing in the journal Eurosurveillance, the authors said: "The data presented here on the burden of complicated varicella in England should be used to inform analysis of the cost-effectiveness of a national varicella vaccination programme."
