[Daily Surveillance of Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) 2009 by primary care electronic clinical records in the Madrid region]. / Vigilancia diaria de la gripe pandémica (H1N1) 2009 mediante registros de la historia clínica electrónica de atención primaria en la Comunidad de Madrid.

BACKGROUND: Pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 led to implementation in the Madrid Region of new strategies of epidemiology surveillance in order to give response to the need of immediacy and exhaustiveness. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study between May 1th 2009 and May 22th 2010. All disease episodes registered and reported as influenza disease were collected every day from electronic clinical records in primary care of Madrid Regional Public Health System. Data were analyzed by date, age, sex and health zoning, disaggregating into health professionals. RESULTS: 165.492 influenza episodes were registered (53,8% in women). The main number of cases was in the 25-49 years group (70.691), and the 5-14 years group reached the maximum weekly incidence rate (1.618,65/100.000 in the week 43). The highest weekly total incidence rate was 458,47/100.000 (week 44). Pediatricians reached the maximum of cases visited and of cumulated rates (12 pediatricians visited more than 20% of their total assigned population). CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance of pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 by automatic daily data collection from electronic clinical records in primary care has meant a specially useful information source for monitoring the development of pandemic influenza and for the strategic decision making.

Characteristics of herpes zoster-associated hospitalizations in Madrid (SPAIN) before vaccine availability.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate the frequency of hospitalizations due to herpes zoster (HZ) and to describe their clinical characteristics by sex and age group. METHODS: Descriptive population-based cross-sectional study of hospital admissions due to HZ from 2003 to 2013 among residents in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Sex, age, comorbidities, length of stay and outcomes were collected and described. Crude and age-adjusted cumulative incidence rates, and stratified by sex and age, were estimated. Robust Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the incidence rate ratios by age group. RESULTS: 2039 hospitalizations were identified (51.0% in women). Complicated HZ caused 48.7% of them (50.9% in women). The hospitalization rate was 2.98/100,000 person-years and 7.19/1000 cases of HZ in primary care. Both rates were significantly higher in men, except in the extreme age groups. An immunosuppression-associated comorbidity was identified in 32.8% of the cases and was less common in patients ≥75 years of age. The median length of stay was 6 days, and in-hospital mortality was 1.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization rates due to HZ were higher in men and increased with age. In two out of every three cases, a comorbidity that potentially caused immunosuppression could not be identified. These cases could benefit from vaccination.