Re: Decline in Varicella-Related Hospitalizations and Expendit...

[Guest guest]

My thought is that since we have a vax now, when a child shows up with the

chicken pox that has been vaxed (which happens ALL the time), they don't freak

out because they feel like the shot will offer protection for the child even

though they have the disease. So they don't jump right in to tylenol, steroids,

etc, which is what causes the fatalities........not the chicken pox. Before

the shot, and after we started freaking out a little about the chicken pox,

they would send mom home with an arsenal of fever-reducers and " something to

help the itching " .

In a message dated 9/3/2004 2:09:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,

apmmom@... writes:

> http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/3/786

>

>

>

> PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004, pp. 786-792

> (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-0012) This ArticleFull Text Full Text (PDF) P3Rs:

Submit a response Alert me

> when this article is cited Alert me when P3Rs are posted Alert me if a

> correction is posted Citation Map ServicesE-mail this article to a friend

Similar

> articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of

> the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager PubMedPubMed

> Citation Articles by , M. M. Articles by Gebremariam, A. Related

> CollectionsOffice Practice Decline in Varicella-Related Hospitalizations and

> Expenditures for Children and Adults After Introduction of Varicella Vaccine

in the

> United States Objective. Universal childhood immunization against varicella

> in the United States, first recommended in 1995, was predicted to lead to

> significant decreases in varicella-related hospitalization rates and

> corresponding charges. Previous studies have not found such effects. We

studied trends

> in varicella-related hospitalization rates and associated charges before and

> after introduction of varicella vaccine.

> Methods. We examined hospitalization and charge data from the Nationwide

> Inpatient Sample for the years 1993–2001, representative of national

> hospitalization patterns for children and adults. We derived weighted

estimates of

> population-adjusted, varicella-related hospitalization rates and

> inflation-adjusted, varicella-related hospital charges.

> Results. The annual varicella-related hospitalization rate exceeded 0.5

> hospitalizations per 10 000 US population from 1993 to 1995, declined to 0.26

per

> 10 000 by 1999, and again halved to 0.13 per 10 000 by 2001. Hospitalization

> rates declined most substantially among individuals primarily targeted for

> vaccination (0- to 4-year-old children) but decreased among youths aged 5 to

> 19 years and among adults as well. Concomitantly, varicella-related hospital

> charges declined from $161.1 million (95% confidence interval: $130.5

million–

> $191.8 million) in 1993 to $66.3 million (95% confidence interval: $50.9

> million–$81.7 million) in 2001 (all 2001 $US). Among expected primary

payers,

> inflation-adjusted declines in varicella-related hospital discharges–related

> charges accrued to Medicaid, private insurance, and " other " payers (including

> uninsured and self-pay) but not to Medicare.

> Conclusions. This national analysis indicates a clinically and statistically

> significant reduction in varicella-related hospitalizations for children and

> adults associated with childhood varicella immunization in the United States

> and a corresponding significant decrease in hospital charges.

>

>

[Guest guest]

When my big boys were little they said it was a spring illness. My oldest got

it in late september, my middle in late May.

As for steroid use ... that is totally NOT given even in the dumbest cases ...

although Chase could have been really sick if he'd gotten them the first time he

was exposed. He was on steroids for asthma, but as SOON as they found out he

was exposed, they took him off of them. He'd only had one dose. THANK GOODNESS

he didn't come down with them at that time.

<sigh> I used Tylenol. They were asthmatic long before the chicken pox

though!!!

tracy in il

-------------- Original message --------------

> My thought is that since we have a vax now, when a child shows up with the

> chicken pox that has been vaxed (which happens ALL the time), they don't freak

> out because they feel like the shot will offer protection for the child even

> though they have the disease. So they don't jump right in to tylenol,

steroids,

> etc, which is what causes the fatalities........not the chicken pox. Before

> the shot, and after we started freaking out a little about the chicken pox,

> they would send mom home with an arsenal of fever-reducers and " something to

> help the itching " .

>

>

> In a message dated 9/3/2004 2:09:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> apmmom@... writes:

>

> > http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/3/786

> >

> >

> >

> > PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004, pp. 786-792

> > (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-0012) This ArticleFull Text Full Text (PDF) P3Rs:

> Submit a response Alert me

> > when this article is cited Alert me when P3Rs are posted Alert me if a

> > correction is posted Citation Map ServicesE-mail this article to a friend

> Similar

> > articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues

of

> > the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager PubMedPubMed

> > Citation Articles by , M. M. Articles by Gebremariam, A. Related

> > CollectionsOffice Practice Decline in Varicella-Related Hospitalizations and

> > Expenditures for Children and Adults After Introduction of Varicella Vaccine

> in the

> > United States Objective. Universal childhood immunization against varicella

> > in the United States, first recommended in 1995, was predicted to lead to

> > significant decreases in varicella-related hospitalization rates and

> > corresponding charges. Previous studies have not found such effects. We

> studied trends

> > in varicella-related hospitalization rates and associated charges before and

> > after introduction of varicella vaccine.

> > Methods. We examined hospitalization and charge data from the Nationwide

> > Inpatient Sample for the years 1993–2001, representative of national

> > hospitalization patterns for children and adults. We derived weighted

> estimates of

> > population-adjusted, varicella-related hospitalization rates and

> > inflation-adjusted, varicella-related hospital charges.

> > Results. The annual varicella-related hospitalization rate exceeded 0.5

> > hospitalizations per 10 000 US population from 1993 to 1995, declined to

0.26

> per

> > 10 000 by 1999, and again halved to 0.13 per 10 000 by 2001. Hospitalization

> > rates declined most substantially among individuals primarily targeted for

> > vaccination (0- to 4-year-old children) but decreased among youths aged 5 to

> > 19 years and among adults as well. Concomitantly, varicella-related hospital

> > charges declined from $161.1 million (95% confidence interval: $130.5

> million–

> > $191.8 million) in 1993 to $66.3 million (95% confidence interval: $50.9

> > million–$81.7 million) in 2001 (all 2001 $US). Among expected primary

> payers,

> > inflation-adjusted declines in varicella-related hospital

discharges–related

> > charges accrued to Medicaid, private insurance, and " other " payers

(including

> > uninsured and self-pay) but not to Medicare.

> > Conclusions. This national analysis indicates a clinically and statistically

> > significant reduction in varicella-related hospitalizations for children and

> > adults associated with childhood varicella immunization in the United States

> > and a corresponding significant decrease in hospital charges.

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/3/2004 8:17:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,

tracy1970@... writes:

> As for steroid use ... that is totally NOT given even in the dumbest cases

> ... although Chase could have been really sick if he'd gotten them the first

> time he was exposed

They gave it to my sister's kid. They said since her itching was " so severe "

she needed them. Also a friend of mine in Ohio was prescribed steroids for

her two year old with chicken pox. She didn't fill the script, though.

[Guest guest]

HOLY COW!!! That doctor ought to be fired. That's just asking for an

accelerated version of the illness and make it more complicated. Unreal.

I'm glad that your friend didn't fill the script.

I'm just in awe at what doctors are doing today. Obviously it was 9 years

ago, but sheesh ... they FREAKED OUT when I told them what kind ofmeds he

was on and then that he was exposed to chicken pox. I was like, ummmmmm

ok..... good grief, my blind and dumb days!

in IL

Re: Decline in Varicella-Related Hospitalizations

and Expendit...

> In a message dated 9/3/2004 8:17:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> tracy1970@... writes:

>

> > As for steroid use ... that is totally NOT given even in the dumbest

cases

> > ... although Chase could have been really sick if he'd gotten them the

first

> > time he was exposed

>

> They gave it to my sister's kid. They said since her itching was " so

severe "

> she needed them. Also a friend of mine in Ohio was prescribed steroids

for

> her two year old with chicken pox. She didn't fill the script, though.

>

>

>

>