How reliable is the history of chickenpox? Varicella serology among children up to 14 years of age

Kavaliotis, John; Petridou, S.; Karabaxoglou, D.

doi:10.1016/s1201-9712(03)90106-8

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Classification bias is unlikely, as true subclinical varicella is rare and clinical diagnosis easy in children presenting lesions [20]. Recall bias should also be limited, given the large positive predictive and negative predictive values of varicella history for school-aged children (95 % and 90 %, respectively) [21][22][23]. Furthermore, our estimates of cumulative incidence of varicella at age 11 years are similar to that of a recent independent French seroprevalence study (90 % at age 11 years [24]) as well as earlier figures in France [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro and macro population effects in disease transmission: the case of varicella

et al. 2009

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SUMMARYProfiles of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) seroprevalence have shown large variability in European countries in which vaccination has not been implemented. Differences in micro and macro population structures (e.g. household and municipality, respectively) may explain such variability, which is the focus of a population-based study of varicella in 12 000 children from 7800 French households in Corsica. The cumulative incidence was 89 % at age 11 years, as the median age at infection was 5 years in first-born children, but decreased to 3 . 9 years in younger siblings. Hazard of infection in households increased as the first-born child initially enrolled in primary school. Age at infection was higher in less populated areas. Household attack rates increased with age (55 % in <6 months, >90 % in >3 years) and household secondary attack rate was y70 %. Several levels of population structure independently affect age at varicella infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro and macro population effects in disease transmission: the case of varicella

et al. 2009

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“…Very few studies on the reliability of information on children's varicella history are available [15][16][17][18][19] . The majority of the published investigations was carried out to assess the positive and negative predictive value of the information on varicella history and include children older than seven, adolescents and adults.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vaccine is recommended for children over one year of age and for adults with negative or doubtful varicella history without a prior serologic test 2 . Although a few studies have assessed the positive and negative predictive value of the information on the varicella antecedents in children and adults [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] , no study was found in the literature assessing the reliability of the information provided by parents of children attending Government day-care centers in the State of São Paulo. Thus, it was decided to conduct this study, because such information is critical in order to establish appropriate public policies to develop vaccination guidelines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability of Information on Varicella History in Preschool Children

Bricks¹,

Pannuti²,

Sato³

et al. 2007

Clinics

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ER. Reliability of information on varicella history in preschool children. Clinics. 2007;62(3):309-14. OBJECTIVE:To verify how reliable is the information provided by parents about the history of varicella in their children. METHODS: 204 parents of previously healthy children attending two municipal day-care centers of São Paulo city were interviewed between August 2003 and September 2005. A standardized form was filled out with information regarding age, sex, history of varicella and other diseases, drug use and antecedent of immunization, After medical history, physical examination and checking of immunization records, 5 ml of blood were collected for ELISA (in house) varicella test. Exclusion criteria were: age less than 1 year or more than 60 months, previous immunization against chickenpox, presence of co-morbidities or recent use of immunosuppressive drugs. Data were filed in a data bank using the Excel 2003 Microsoft Office Program and stored in a PC computer. The exact Fisher test was employed to calculate sensibility, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of history of varicella informed by children's parents. RESULTS: The age of the children varied from 12 to 54 months (median, 26 months; 49 (24%) children had positive history of varicella, 155 (76%) a negative or doubtful history. The predictive positive and negative values of the information were 90% and 93%, respectively (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:The degree of reliability of information about history of varicella informed by parents of children attending day care centers was high and useful to establish recommendations on varicella blocking immunization in day-care centers.

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“…Prior chicken pox will be defined by parental report alone because this has been shown to be specific for the diagnosis, and because a physician diagnosis often is not made as children with a suspected diagnosis are discouraged from coming to clinic (to prevent spread to other children). 40 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vascular Effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) Study

et al. 2011

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Background The most common cause of arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) in a previously healthy child is a large vessel cerebral arteriopathy. Varicella zoster virus is an established etiology, and recent data implicate a non-specific effect of additional common viral infections on cerebral vessels. The Vascular effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) study is a multicenter cohort study that will test the hypotheses that (1) infection can lead to childhood AIS by causing vascular injury, and (2) the resultant arteriopathy, and inflammatory markers, predict recurrent stroke. Methods We are prospectively enrolling 480 children (aged 1 month through 18 years) with AIS and collecting (1) extensive infectious histories (through parental interview), (2) blood and serum samples (and CSF, when clinically obtained), and (3) clinically obtained but standardized brain and cerebrovascular imaging studies. Imaging studies are being centrally reviewed and adjudicated. Centralized laboratory assays will include serologies (acute and convalescent) and molecular assays for herpes viruses, and levels of inflammatory markers. Subjects are followed prospectively for recurrent ischemic events for the duration of the study (minimum of 1 year). We are banking biological specimens (including DNA) for future studies of specific infectious agents and mediators of inflammation relevant to thrombosis and vascular injury. Analysis Plan In a cross-sectional analysis, we will use logistic regression techniques to measure the association between markers of infection (from the clinical history and laboratory assays) and cerebral arteriopathy. In a prospective cohort analysis, we will use survival analysis techniques to determine whether cerebral arteriopathy and inflammatory markers predict recurrent stroke. Conclusions VIPS will shed light on the vascular effects of infection in childhood stroke. Because arteriopathy is likely the major predictor of recurrent stroke in children, a better understanding of the vascular injury pathway is critical for the development of rational strategies for secondary stroke prevention in children.

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How reliable is the history of chickenpox? Varicella serology among children up to 14 years of age

Cited by 19 publications

References 10 publications

Micro and macro population effects in disease transmission: the case of varicella

Micro and macro population effects in disease transmission: the case of varicella

Reliability of Information on Varicella History in Preschool Children

The Vascular Effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) Study

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