TY - JOUR AU - Martinón-Torres, Federico; Gallardo, Silvia Dosil; Gay, Laura Pérez; Alvez, Fernando; Núñez, Antonio Rodriguez; Sánchez, Jose María Martinón TI - Has the number of cases of pediatric empyema increased in North-West Spain? SN - 1305-7707 SN - 1305-7693 PY - 2008 JO - J Pediatr Infect Dis JF - Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases LA - EN VL - 03 IS - 03 SP - 175 EP - 179 DA - 2015/07/28 KW - Empyema KW - Streptococcus pneumoniae KW - parapneumonic pleural effusion KW - pneumococcal vaccines KW - pediatrics AB - Clinicians in Spain perceive an increase in the incidence of pediatric empyema. The available objective information is limited because it is a condition, for which there is no specific active epidemiological surveillance. This study aims to determine and evaluate the incidence of empyema of infectious origin, especially pneumococcal empyema, among children in Galicia (North-West of Spain). A retrospective search of all pediatrics cases of empyema from 1996 to present (May 2006) in Galicia (North-West of Spain) was performed using the official hospital admissions database. A total of 165 patients were identified, showing an increase in the incidence of empyema (1.02 cases/100,000 children in 1996 to 7.35 cases/100,000 children in 2005) and a decrease in the mean age of the patients affected [(7.25 (6.3) years in 1996 to 3.7 (3) in 2005]. This increase in the incidence of empyema started before the antipneumococcal vaccine became available and the reason for it remains unknown. This situation would justify the establishment of prospective systems for the surveillance and control of empyema. PB - Georg Thieme Verlag KG DO - 10.1055/s-0035-1556982 UR - http://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0035-1556982 ER -