Declining U.S. vaccination rates have led to a resurgence in large measles outbreaks.Two papers examining South Carolina and Utah's outbreak showed that hypoxemia and pneumonia were the most common conditions leading to hospitalization for measles.In the South Carolina report, two of 13 hospitalized patients developed measles encephalitis, a life-threatening complication that can cause brain damage.
As U.S. measles cases approach last year's record-breaking total, studies on South Carolina and Utah's large outbreaks showed cases of encephalitis and sepsis among the hospitalized patients.
In both states, hypoxemia and pneumonia were the most common conditions leading to hospitalization for measles, with some admissions driven by electrolyte abnormalities, sepsis, and shock.
Two of 13 patients hospitalized in South Carolina developed measles encephalitis, which led to prolonged hospitalization for both and discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for one patient, according to Katherine Richardson, MD, and colleagues from Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In Utah, 54% of the hospitalized measles patients with lab results had hyponatremia or lymphopenia, 37% had thrombocytopenia, and 30% had elevated alanine aminotransferase. More than half of those with chest radiographs showed abnormalities (55%), and most patients received intravenous fluids (78%) or supplemental oxygen (61%), reported Anna Jones, MD, of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services in Salt Lake City, and co-authors in NEJM Evidence.
