Incidence of intussusception : five-year hospital-based retrospective review

Abstract EN

Background and objective : The aim of this study was to survey the baseline occurrence of intussusception (IS) among children less than five years of age who were hospitalized prior to the introduction of the new rotavirus vaccines.

Design : Retrospective cohort study.

Setting : Salmaniya Medical Complex, Ministry of Health.

Method : Intussusception cases in children less than five years, who were admitted to hospital from January 1999 to December 2003 were reviewed.

The intussusception definition of Brighton Collaboration Working Group was adopted.

The incidence of definite Intussusception per year was computed.

Result: Sixty-six cases were identified, 12 cases were excluded because the date of hospital admission was before the study period.

Fifty-four cases fit the criteria and the period of the study.

The mean age of the subjects was 9.4 months.

Thirty-four (63 %) of the subjects were males.

The incidence of definite intussusception was 17.8 per 100,000 per year in children less than five years of age, and was 72.4 per 100,000 per year in children les than one year of age.

Intussusception was high, forty-four (81.5 %), in the 2-11 months age group.

Intussusception occurred all year round, with no clear seasonal variations.

There were no deaths and all subjects who participated in this study had recovered.

Conclusion : This study provides, for the first time, a baseline estimate for the incidence rate of intussusception in the Kingdom of Bahrain.