Complications of varicella in healthy children: Is it increasing ?

OBJECTIVE: Aim: Varicella is a common and benign disease caused by the varicella zoster. However, varicella zoster virus infection can cause severe morbidity and mortality, due to complications in healthy children. These complications can be prevented by vaccination. The aim of this study was to determined the type complications of varicella in hospitalized children. Also these data compared with study which has been made in 2005 and changes in the varicella hospitalizations were analyzed. Thus, to obtain the necessary data for the study of the vaccine.
METHODS: Materials and Methods: The retrospective study involving 262 children hospitalized for complications due to varicella between January 2005 and December 2009 was carried out. Incidence and clinical spectrum of complications and their distrubution related to age and seasonal variations were analyzed.
RESULTS: Results: We identified 262 children hospitalized for complications of varicella. Fourteen children were excluded, a total of 248 patients were analyzed. The majority of varicella complications occured in children less than 5 years of age. The most common complications were infectious complications (41.9%). Thereafter, neurologic complications (35.6%) and hematological complications were seen (3.6%). The seasonal distribution of complications associated with varicella had a higher incidence in January (21.4%). Three patients died.
CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Complications of varicella are more frequent than previously reported. Also mortality rates were higher than previous study. Varicella can be accompained by severe complications and death in immunologically healthy children. For this reason varicella vaccine are very important in Turkey.