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Published on: February 23, 2014

Cost of hospitalizing children with invasive pneumococcal pneumonia

Pedro Brotons1, Gemma Gelabert, Cristian Launes

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu-University of Barcelona, Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain.

Vaccine
|December 25, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in children incurs significant hospital costs, averaging over €4500 per case. Complications, surgery, and intensive care dramatically increase these expenses, highlighting the need for preventative immunization.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Health Economics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (IPP) is a major cause of childhood hospitalization.
  • Limited data exists on the economic burden and resource utilization of IPP in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the hospital costs associated with pediatric IPP.
  • To identify key factors influencing the cost of IPP hospitalizations.

Main Methods:

  • Observational economic evaluation of 135 children (<18 years) with culture-proven IPP.
  • Data collected from January 2001 to December 2011 in Barcelona, Spain.
  • Analysis included demographic, clinical, microbiological, and epidemiological variables.

Main Results:

  • Median hospital cost for IPP was €4533 (95% CI: €4078-€5435) with a median stay of 11 days.
  • Complicated pneumonia, surgery, intensive care, and non-PCV7 serotypes were significant cost drivers.
  • Costs for complicated pneumonia ranged from €2822 to €4919, compared to €1399 for non-complicated cases.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric IPP places a substantial burden on healthcare resources.
  • Universal childhood immunization programs with PCV13 and prompt complication management can reduce costs.
  • Targeted interventions are crucial for mitigating the financial impact of IPP.
Abstract

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