ORIGINAL PAPER
Measles in paediatric patients in Poland – a 3-year retrospective single-centre study
 
More details
Hide details
1
Student Scientific Circle at the Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University od Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
 
2
Doctoral School, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
 
3
Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
 
4
Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2023-12-14
 
 
Final revision date: 2024-02-10
 
 
Acceptance date: 2024-02-14
 
 
Publication date: 2024-06-27
 
 
Corresponding author
Carlo Bieńkowski
Dr. Carlo Bieńkowski, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Pediatr Pol 2024;99(2):116-122
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in measles cases in Europe. Most patients were not vaccinated. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical manifestation of measles in paediatric patients, considering the differences between infants and older children.

Material and methods:
This was a retrospective observational study, for which data were collected from the medical records of paediatric patients hospitalised due to measles January 2017 – December 2019. Stratification was based on age. In the younger group (infants), children under 13 months of age were included.

Results:
In total 84 children were enrolled in the study, including 26 infants (30.95%) and 58 older children (69.5%). In 67/84 (79.76%) participants no history of measles vaccination was reported. Among those not vaccinated, there were 28/67 (41.79%) children too young for vaccination. Fever and erythema occurred in all patients. The disease was complicated by pneumonia in 39/84 (46.43%) and acute otitis media in 19/84 (22.62%) children. Antibiotics were administered in 45/84 (69.05%) cases, of which 10/58 (17.24%) had 2 or more. The infants had significantly less frequent photophobia (p = 0.041693), lymphadenopathy (p = 0.005229), hepatomegaly (p = 0.030619), and splenomegaly (p = 0.019469), Instead, they were significantly more likely to have acute otitis media (p = 0.020141).

Conclusions:
Measles is a serious disease that most commonly affects unvaccinated children. The most common symptoms include fever and rash. Otitis media and pneumonia were the most common measles complications. The variations in symptoms and complications of measles differ significantly between infants and older children.
REFERENCES (25)
1.
Moss WJ. Measles. Lancet 2017; 390: 2490-2502.
 
2.
Bester JC. Measles and measles vaccination: a review. JAMA Pediatr 2016; 170: 1209-1215.
 
3.
Misin A, Antonello RM, Di Bella S, et al. Measles: an overview of a re-emerging disease in children and immunocompromised patients. Microorganisms 2020; 8: 276.
 
4.
Lo Vecchio A, Krzysztofiak A, Montagnani C, et al. Complications and risk factors for severe outcome in children with measles. Arch Dis Child 2020; 105: 896-899.
 
5.
Komunikat Głównego Inspektora Sanitarnego z dnia 28 października 2022 r. w sprawie Programu Szczepień Ochronnych na rok 2023, (2022). Available from: https://dziennikmz.mz.gov.pl/D....
 
6.
Augustynowicz EBJ. Summary – measles vaccine [updated 24.02.2023]. Available from: https://szczepienia.pzh.gov.pl....
 
7.
NIH NIoPH. Incidence of selected infectious diseases in Poland. 2023. Contract No.: 25.03.2023. Available from: https://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldp....
 
8.
Reported measles cases 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/europe/tea....
 
9.
Ben-Chetrit E, Oster Y, Jarjou’i A, et al. Measles-related hospitalizations and associated complications in Jerusalem, 2018-2019. Clin Microbiol Infect 2020; 26: 637-642.
 
10.
Gianniki M, Siahanidou T, Botsa E, Michos A. Measles epidemic in pediatric population in Greece during 2017-2018: Epidemiological, clinical characteristics and outcomes. PLoS One 2021; 16: e0245512.
 
11.
Angelo KM, Gastañaduy PA, Walker AT, et al. Spread of measles in Europe and implications for US travelers. Pediatrics 2019; 144: e20190414.
 
12.
Aritonovic Pribakovic J, Katanic N, Ilic A, et al. The measles epidemic in northern Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia, October 2017 – August 2019. J Infect Dev Ctries 2022; 16: 850-856.
 
13.
Rzymski P, Fulfushynska H, Fal A. Vaccination of Ukrainian refugees: need for urgent action. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 75: 1103-1108.
 
14.
Domai FM, Agrupis KA, Han SM, et al. Measles outbreak in the Philippines: epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hospitalized children, 2016–2019. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2022; 19: 100334.
 
15.
Bentley J, Rouse J, Pinfield J. Measles: pathology, management and public health issues. Nurs Stand 2014; 28: 51-58.
 
16.
Laksono BM, de Vries RD, McQuaid S, Duprex WP, de Swart RL. Measles virus host invasion and pathogenesis. Viruses 2016; 8: 210.
 
17.
Pițigoi D, Săndulescu O, Crăciun MD, et al. Measles in Romania – clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized measles cases during the first three years of the 2016-ongoing epidemic. Virulence 2020; 11: 686-694.
 
18.
Cornelissen L, Grammens T, Leenen S, et al. High number of hospitalisations and non-classical presentations: lessons learned from a measles outbreak in 2017, Belgium. Epidemiol Infect 2020; 148: e35.
 
19.
Battegay R, Itin C, Itin P. Dermatological signs and symptoms of measles: a prospective case series and comparison with the literature. Dermatology 2012; 224: 1-4.
 
20.
Sunnetcioglu M, Baran AI, Sunnetcioglu A, Mentes O, Karadas S, Aypak A. Clinical and laboratory features of adult measles cases detected in Van, Turkey. J Pak Med Assoc 2015; 65: 273-276.
 
21.
Han K, Chen S, Tang C, et al. The epidemiological and serological characteristics of measles in Dongguan, China, 2005–2014. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 12: 2181-2187.
 
22.
Ciofi Degli Atti ML, Filia A, Massari M, et al. Assessment of measles incidence, measles-related complications and hospitalisations during an outbreak in a southern Italian region. Vaccine 2006; 24: 1332-1338.
 
23.
Ilyas M, Afzal S, Ahmad J, Alghamdi S, Khurram M. The resurgence of measles infection and its associated complications in early childhood at a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan. Pol J Microbiol 2020; 69: 1-8.
 
24.
Lo Vecchio A, Cambriglia MD, Bruzzese D, Guarino A. Vitamin A in children hospitalized for measles in a high-income country. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2021; 40: 723-729.
 
25.
Sindhu TG, Geeta MG, Krishnakumar P, Sabitha S, Ajina KK. Clinical profile of measles in children with special reference to infants. Trop Doct 2019; 49: 20-23.
 
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top