Resumen de A population-based study of Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease in Catalonia

Ángela Domínguez García, Ricardo Bou Monterde, Ferrán Sánchez Reus, Dionisia Fontanals Aymerich, Cristina Latorre Otín, Lluís Salleras Sanmartí, Working Group on Invasive Disease Caused by Haemophilus influenzae

• ABSTRACT Objective. To investigate the incidence and clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease (HIID) in the population older than 5 years of age in Catalonia. Methods. A prospective study was carried out during 1996 and 1997. All microbiology laboratories were contacted monthly in order to detect isolates from normally sterile sites. The serotype, age, sex, clinical form and evolution of each case detected were obtained. Results. A total of 154 cases in all age groups were detected, of which 106 (68.8%) corresponded to the population older than 5 years; 29 cases (27.3%) were caused by capsulate strains (24 were serotype b, 4 serotype f and 1 serotype e) and 77 (72.7%) by non-capsulate ones. In this population, the incidence rate of H. influence invasive disease was 0.9 per 100,000 persons-year and the case fatality rate 14.2%, with pneumonia being the most frequent clinical manifestation (45.3%). In subjects = 65 years, the incidence rate was 2.7 per 100,000, with the rate for non-capsulate strains being 2.2 per 100,000. Conclusions. The incidence of H. influenzae invasive disease in the population older than 5 years of age in Catalonia was low, although in the population older than 65 years this incidence was almost three times higher and mainly caused by non-capsulate strains.