: Seasonal influenza annually puts a significant burden on the pediatric population, especially the youngest, causing severe illness and death. Additionally, associated healthcare costs cause a significant financial strain on healthcare systems. While vaccination is the most effective prevention method, its cost-effectiveness for healthy children remains unassessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: In the Veneto Region of Italy, universal varicella vaccination (VV) started in 2007 with a two-dose schedule at 12-15 months and 5-6 years of age achieving 90 % coverage in 2019. The study aimed at evaluating the vaccine effectiveness (VE) in children using a primary-care database METHODS: This retrospective analysis used Pedianet, a comprehensive database of 73 family paediatricians in the Veneto Region. Incidence rates (IR) of varicella were evaluated in children aged <14 years enrolled since birth, between January 2004 to April 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in children and is mainly caused by the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Bronchiolitis presents seasonally and lasts about five months, usually between October to March, with peaks of hospitalizations between December and February, in the Northern Hemisphere. The burden of bronchiolitis and RSV in primary care is not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing electronic data from a large population-based network of Family Paediatricians (Pedianet), we aimed to describe the use of topical antimicrobials, including ozenoxacin 1% cream, in impetigo in children in Italy. We included 2929 children aged 6 months-14 years from 2016 to 2019 with at least one episode of impetigo treated with topical antimicrobials. Overall, 3051 cases of impetigo were included in the analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite widespread childhood immunization programs, pneumococcal disease (PD) continues to be associated with significant clinical and economic burden worldwide. This retrospective study assessed the PD-related economic burden in children from the Veneto region of Italy following the introduction of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) to the Italian immunization schedule in 2010. Between 2010 and 2017, the annual incidences of pneumonia, acute otitis media (AOM), and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), as well as syndromic-disease-related episodes, declined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite advances in preventative interventions, invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia cause significant morbidity and mortality in children. We studied the annual incidence of pneumococcal-specific and syndromic invasive disease and non-invasive pneumonia in children <15 years of age during the early (2010−2013) and late (2014−2017) 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) periods in Veneto, Italy. In this retrospective observational study, pneumococcal-specific and syndromic invasive disease and non-invasive pneumonia cases were identified from several sources, including the Pedianet database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Seasonal influenza can cause serious morbidity, mortality, and financial burden in pediatric and adult populations. The influenza vaccine (IV) is considered the most effective way to prevent influenza and influenza-like-illness (ILI) complications.
Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the IV in a cohort of healthy children in Italy.
Unlabelled: Impetigo is a common skin infection in children. The worldwide prevalence in children is estimated to be 12%, but this may be lower since high-income countries are under-represented. This research aims to evaluate the incidence, prevalence, and management of children with non-bullous impetigo (NBI) residing in Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to assess trends in the incidence of acute otitis media (AOM), a common childhood condition, following the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in the Veneto region of Italy in 2010. AOM episodes (overall, simple, and recurrent (≥3 or ≥4 episodes in 6 or 12 months, respectively, with ≥1 episode in the preceding 6 months)) in children <15 years of age were identified in Pedianet from 2010−2017. Interrupted time series analyses were conducted to assess changes in the annual incidence rates (IRs) in early (2010−2013) and late (2014−2017) PCV13 periods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as well as its treatment with acid-suppressive medications have been considered possible risk factors for the development of asthma, but few studies have disentangled the role of GERD with that of its treatment. The present study aimed at estimating the association of treated and untreated GERD in the first year of life with the risk of asthma.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study including all children born between 2004 and 2015 registered in Pedianet, an Italian primary care database.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
June 2021
Background: In Italy, the bacterial lysate OM-85 (Broncho-Vaxom, Broncho-Munal, Ommunal, Paxoral, Vaxoral) is registered for the prophylaxis of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in adults and children above one year of age, but there are limited data on its use in the paediatric population. We aim to estimate the impact of OM-85 treatment on RTIs and antibiotic prescriptions in children.
Methods: This study included children aged 1 to 14 years enrolled in Pedianet, a paediatric general practice research database, from January 2007 to June 2017, having at least one prescription of OM-85.
Introduction And Objective: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common reasons of prescribing antibiotics for children, often with overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The aim of this study is to describe the antibiotic prescriptions for Italian children with CAP, at the primary care level.
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted among children 3 months-14 years of age with CAP, enrolled in Pedianet (http://www.
Background: The detection of infectious diseases through the analysis of free text on electronic health reports (EHRs) can provide prompt and accurate background information for the implementation of preventative measures, such as advertising and monitoring the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns.
Objective: The purpose of this paper is to compare machine learning techniques in their application to EHR analysis for disease detection.
Methods: The Pedianet database was used as a data source for a real-world scenario on the identification of cases of varicella.
Introduction: Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common childhood disease leading to antibiotic use. More than 80% of children under three years of age experience at least one episode, and about one-third of these report significant recurrence of episodes. In recent years, several studies reported that normal nasopharyngeal flora inhibits growth of common otopathogens, suggesting that maintenance of an "adequate" nasopharyngeal flora might prevent occurrence of upper respiratory tract infections, including AOM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acute otitis media (AOM) and pharyngitis are very common infections in children and adolescents. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest rate of antibiotic prescriptions. The aim of this study is to describe first-line treatment approaches for AOM and pharyngitis in primary care settings in Italy over six years, including the prevalence of 'wait and see' for AOM, where prescription of antibiotics is delayed 48 h from presentation, and differences in prescribing for pharyngitis when diagnostic tests are used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Monovalent varicella vaccines have been available in the Veneto Region of Italy since 2004. In 2006, a single vaccine dose was added to the immunisation calendar for children aged 14 months. ProQuad®, a quadrivalent measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine, was introduced in May 2007 and used, among other varicella vaccines, until October 2008.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground. Rotavirus (RV) is the commonest pathogen in the hospital and primary care settings, followed by Adenovirus (AV) and Norovirus (NV). Only few studies that assess the burden of RV gastroenteritis at the community level have been carried out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recent estimates indicate an increase in the prevalence of skin diseases in children. Few large epidemiologic studies have examined prevalence trends in Europe. This study evaluated the incidence and prevalence of frequently occurring pediatric skin diseases (PSDs) in Italy as seen by family pediatricians (FPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The incidence of acute otitis media (AOM) vary from country to country. Geographical variations together with differences in study designs, reporting and settings play a role. We assessed the incidence of AOM in Italian children seen by primary care paediatricians (PCPs), and described the methods used to diagnose the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Data on the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Europe are needed to help understand the potential impact of introducing new rotavirus vaccines.
Materials And Methods: As part of prospective observational study (Rotavirus gastroenteritis Epidemiology and Viral types in Europe Accounting for Losses in Public Health and Society Study, REVEAL) conducted in 2004--2005 in seven European countries, we studied, the characteristics of acute gastroenteritis and rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years in primary care, emergency room and hospital settings (Padova, Italy).
Results: A total of 757 children with acute gastroenteritis were included and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) results were available for 725 cases.
Background And Objective: Results from a relatively small case-control study recently showed that niflumic acid increases the risk of serious mucocutaneous reactions in children. As a consequence, the Italian Ministry of Health sent a "Dear Doctor" letter in June 2001 to warn pediatricians about the alleged adverse effects. The objective of this study was to estimate and compare the incidence of mild and severe mucocutaneous reactions among children using niflumic acid, other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or nonopioid analgesics.
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