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Quantifying the long-term effects of measles infection-a retrospective cohort study
Ella Dor1, Ronen Fluss2, Ariel Israel3
1The Bio-statistical and Bio-mathematical Unit, The Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Objectives:
To assess whether measles infection has an impact on the rate of non-measles infectious diseases over an extended period.
Methods:
This retrospective matched cohort study included 532 measles-diagnosed patients who were exactly matched with 2128 individuals without a previous measles diagnosis. Adjusted OR for any all-cause infectious diagnosis and any viral infection diagnosis ≤2 years after measles diagnosis between the measles and control groups was obtained from a conditional logistic regression model. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio.
Results:
Previous measles virus (MeV) exposure was associated with an increased risk for all-cause non-measles infectious disease diagnosis (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.26-2.64, p 0.001), with 492 diagnoses in the MeV-exposed group and 1868 diagnoses in the control group. Additionally, previous MeV exposure was linked to a higher risk of viral infection diagnosis (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01-1.59, p < 0.05), with 302 viral infection diagnoses in the MeV-exposed group and 1107 diagnoses in the control group. The hazard ratio for viral diagnosis in the MeV-exposed group compared with the control group was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.18-2.02, p < 0.001).
Discussion:
Individuals diagnosed with measles had a moderately increased risk of being diagnosed with all-cause non-measles infectious disease or viral infection. This observational individual-level study supports previous ecological and individual population-level studies.
Insights
Measles infection increases the risk of subsequent non-measles infectious diseases and viral infections. This finding highlights the long-term health implications of measles virus (MeV) exposure.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Measles infection is known for its acute symptoms.
- The long-term immunological consequences of measles virus (MeV) infection require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of measles infection on the incidence of non-measles infectious diseases over an extended period.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective matched cohort study compared 532 measles patients with 2128 controls.
- Conditional logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess risks.
Main Results:
- Measles exposure was linked to a significantly higher risk of all-cause non-measles infectious disease diagnosis (OR: 1.83).
- A higher risk of viral infection diagnosis was also observed in measles-diagnosed individuals (OR: 1.23, HR: 1.54).
Conclusions:
- Individuals with measles exhibit a moderately elevated risk for subsequent non-measles infectious and viral infections.
- This study reinforces previous findings on the extended impact of measles virus infection.
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