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IPD incidence rate decreased among children with sickle cell disease
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Since introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, incidence rates of invasive pneumococcal disease have dropped by more than half in children with sickle cell disease, according to recent study findings.
“While the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in children with [sickle cell disease] has decreased significantly since PCV7 introduction, we found the rate is still dramatically higher than the overall rate in African-American children,” researchers wrote.
The study included data from the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance of 3,069 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in black children aged younger than 18 years from 1998 to 2009. Amanda B. Payne, MPH, division of blood disorders at the CDC, and colleagues evaluated trends in hospitalizations, mortality and serotype among children with sickle cell disease compared with other children.
Researchers found that 4.1% of participants had sickle cell disease and 6% had one or more risk factors for IPD, excluding sickle cell disease. Overall rates of IPD among participants decreased by 74% compared with 53% among children with sickle cell disease.
Participants with sickle cell disease and IPD were more likely to be hospitalized compared with children with no risk factors (84% to 92% vs. 31% to 56%, respectively) and more likely to die (6% to 17% vs. 1% to 2%, respectively).
“This report demonstrates the effectiveness of the PCV7 vaccine to dramatically reduce the rate of IPD in children with [sickle cell disease],” the investigators said. “However, our analyses show children with [sickle cell disease are still at much greater risk of IPD infection than healthy children and are more likely to die as a result of infection. This indicates better prevention strategies are warranted to reduce the overall morbidity and mortality due to IPD in children with [sickle cell disease].”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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