Purpose:The impact of pertussis in individuals with asthma is not fully understood. We estimated the incidence, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and direct medical costs (DMC) of pertussis in patients with asthma. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the incidence rate of pertussis (identified using diagnostic codes) among individuals aged ≥50 years with an asthma diagnosis was assessed during 2009-2018 using Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics databases. HCRU and DMC were compared -between patients with diagnoses of asthma and pertussis (asthma+/pertussis+) and propensity score-matched patients with a diagnosis of asthma without pertussis (asthma+/pertussis-) -in the months around the pertussis diagnosis (-6 to +11). Results: Among 687,105 individuals, 346 had a reported pertussis event (incidence rate: 9.6/ 100,000 person-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval: 8.6-10.7). HCRU and DMC were assessed among 314 asthma+/pertussis+ patients and 1256 matched asthma+/pertussiscontrols. Baseline HCRU was similar in both cohorts, but increases were observed in the asthma+/pertussis+ cohort from -6 to -1 month before to 2-5 months after diagnosis. Rates of accident and emergency visits, general practitioner (GP)/nurse visits, and GP prescriptions were 4.3-, 3.1-, and 1.3-fold, respectively, in the asthma+/pertussis+ vs asthma+/pertussiscohorts during the month before diagnosis; GP/nurse visit rates were 2.0-and 1.2-fold during 0-2 and 2-5 months after diagnosis, respectively (all p<0.001). DMC was 1.9-and 1.6-fold during the month before and 2 months from diagnosis, respectively, in the asthma+/pertussis + vs asthma+/pertussis-cohorts (both p<0.001). During months -1 to +11, DMC in the asthma+/pertussis+ cohort was £370 higher than in the asthma+/pertussis-controls. Conclusion: A pertussis diagnosis among adults aged ≥50 years with asthma resulted in significant increases in HCRU and DMC across several months around diagnosis, suggesting lengthy diagnosis times and highlighting the need for prevention strategies.

Introduction Following the introduction of pertussis vaccination during infancy, the age-related demographics of pertussis epidemiology have changed. Methods To better understand the pertussis burden (defined here as number of cases and/or incidence rate [IR]) among older adults (OA; at least 50 years of age) in Europe, we collected data on the reported number of cases and IR in this population in Denmark, England and Scotland, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden from 2010 to 2020. Additionally, we collected contextual epidemiological information on surveillance systems, case definitions, laboratory diagnostics and vaccination approaches. Results We observed large heterogeneity in the burden among OA between countries: annual IRs ranged from 0.4 (England, 2010) to 54.5 (Norway, 2011) per 100,000 population; 9% (Denmark, 2010) to 45% (England, 2017) of all reported cases occurred in OA. No clear impact of changes in contextual epidemiological information or common trends between countries could be observed, highlighting the need for standardised pertussis surveillance programmes across Europe. The epidemiological trends observed in OA were similar to those observed in 0–4-year-olds. Conclusion This analysis showed that B. pertussis continues to circulate among OA in Europe, suggesting that current vaccination strategies are insufficient to decrease the disease burden in all age groups. This may indicate that improved monitoring of pertussis in OA and booster vaccination throughout adulthood are necessary to control the total pertussis burden. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40121-022-00668-y.

Introduction Pertussis, a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis , affects people of all ages. Older adults are particularly susceptible to its severe outcomes and complications. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, the incidence rate of pertussis among individuals aged ≥ 50 years was assessed during 2009–2018 using Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics databases, United Kingdom. Health care resource utilisation (HCRU) and direct medical costs (DMCs) were compared between patients with a pertussis diagnosis and propensity score-matched controls (matched on demographic and clinical variables). Results Among 5,222,860 individuals, 1638 had a pertussis diagnosis (incidence rate: 5.8 per 100,000 person-years; 95% confidence interval 5.5–6.0). Baseline (– 18 to – 6 months) HCRU and DMC were similar among 1480 pertussis patients and 1480 matched controls. However, there were increases in HCRU in the pertussis vs. matched cohort around the pertussis diagnosis (from months – 6 to – 1 to 5–11). The most notable increases (pertussis vs. controls) were in the rates of general practitioner (GP)/nurse visits (4.7-fold), clinical assessments (4.1-fold), and accident and emergency visits (3.0-fold) during the month before diagnosis and GP/nurse visits during the 2 months after diagnosis (2.5-fold) (all p < 0.001). DMCs were significantly higher in the pertussis cohort ( p < 0.001). Total excess DMC in the pertussis cohort during months – 1 to + 11 was £318 per patient. Conclusion A pertussis diagnosis among adults aged ≥ 50 years resulted in significant increases in HCRU and DMC across several months around diagnosis. These results highlight the need for increased awareness of pertussis infection among adults aged ≥ 50 years and suggest that pertussis booster doses among this population should be considered. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40121-023-00774-5.