Mária Štefkovičová, Pavol Šimurka, Libuša Glosová, Zuzana Krištúfková
Introduction: rotaviral gastroenteritis (RVGE) is the most common cause of the serious diarrheal diseases in early childhood. It often requires hospital admission and intense rehydration. Despite high morbidity and economic burden of the disease, its prevention is rather underestimated. Material and methods: the study group consisted of 9717 children hospitalized in period of 2001 - 2006 at The Pediatric Department of the Teaching Hospital in Trenčín (TH). Laboratory confirmed cases of RVGE were analyzed retrospectively (2001 - 2005) as well as prospectively in 2006. The data were compared with reported cases recorded by the all country surveillance system EPIS (the Epidemiological Information System). Presumptive numbers of hospitalized children with RVGE in Slovakia and Trenčín region were calculated by means of a mathematical model. Results: out of 9717 children hospitalized in period of 2001 - 2006 at The Pediatric Department of the Teaching Hospital in Trenčín 267 (2.7 %) were admitted due to the RVGE with annual average 25.3/100 000 inhabitants of the referral hospital territory. There were 228 (85.4 %) cases below 5 years of age. Out of them 166 (72.8 %) were community-acquired and 62 (27.2 %) were hospital-acquired. The EPIS recorded 145 diseases reported from the referral hospital territory, which makes an average of 13.7/100 000 inhabitants and 54.3 % from the number of actively searched cases. Based on the model situation identical with the situation in referral hospital territory, there were 914 children hospitalized in Trenčín region (annual average 152 hospitalized children) and 8163 hospitalized children in Slovak Republic (annual average 1361 children). Discussion: The fact that a real occurrence of RVGE is higher than reported accounts for models used for determining economic loads of RVGE in developed countries. Causes of insufficient evidence of RVGE are low report discipline and slow and unequal introduction of diagnostics of rotaviruses in regions of Slovakia. 20 million SK for hospitalization were needed for our estimated number of 1361 children with RVGE. Conclusion: To know a real extent, clinical and economical consequences of RVGE problems in Slovakia, improved diagnostics and reporting of new cases is needed. Backgrounds for determining strategies and realization of vaccination can be received in accordance with guidelines of SZO. More information about RVGE and their consequences should be available for parents, physicians and managers of health policy.