Rotavirus vaccination significantly impacts seizure-related hospitalizations

Rotavirus vaccination significantly decreased seizure-related hospitalizations during childhood, which appeared to be highest among the youngest group of infants during the first 2 years of age, according to study results.

“This reduction may mean not only additional prevention of rotavirus disease burden, but further cost saving and avoidance of infant and family suffering,” Jacobo Pardo-Seco, of Translational Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases Section in the pediatric department of the Hospital Clinico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and colleagues wrote.

The researchers set out to assess the variations in hospitalization incidence for childhood seizures among 6,149 children aged younger than 5 years before and after vaccine introduction between 2003 and 2013.

Results indicated that hospitalization rates for any type of childhood seizure in children aged younger than 5 years was associated with rotavirus vaccination coverage (P = .033) as well as rotavirus acute gastroenteritis admission rates (P = .001). Rates of decrease ranged from 16.2% (95% CI, 8.3%-23.5%) during 2007 to 34% (95% CI, 27.3%-40.1%) during 2010.

For convulsion, decreased rates were also associated with increased rotavirus vaccination coverage (P = .013) and rotavirus acute gastroenteritis admission rates (P < .001). The rates of decrease ranged from 18.7% during 2007 to 42.5% during 2012.

“Rotavirus vaccination may reduce the risk of hospitalizations due to childhood seizures, mainly in infants,” the researchers wrote. “These benefits can arise with just moderate rotavirus vaccination coverage. Further studies are required, but rotavirus vaccination benefits seem to be broader than just prevention of severe forms of acute gastroenteritis.”

Disclosure: One researcher reports consulting, advisory and speaker relationships with GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Sanofi Pasteur, Pfizer Inc., Wyeth, Novartis and MedImmune Inc.