Chickenpox hospitalizations among residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1962 through 1981. A population-based study
H. A. Guess, D. D. Broughton, L. J. Melton 3rd and L. T. Kurland
Age-specific incidence rates were determined for hospitalizations resulting
from complications of chickenpox. We reviewed medical records for all
Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents hospitalized for chickenpox during the
20-year period 1962 through 1981. Incidence rates based on these 25 cases
showed good agreement with national rates computed from information
compiled by the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities for 669
statistically selected patients, representing about 5% of US varicella
hospitalizations from January 1979 through June 1982 (about 4,000
hospitalizations annually). The most common complications were bacterial
superinfections in children younger than 5 years old, varicella
encephalitis (mainly acute cerebellar ataxia) and dehydration in 5- to
9-year-olds, and varicella pneumonia in adults. The high prevalence of
chickenpox and its association with infectious and neurologic complications
make it a continuing source of morbidity.
