Aim: analysis of the nature and the severity of medical complications of the hospitalized cases associated to an measles outbreak which appeared after a period of consistent interruption of measles virus circulation in the Bucharest municipality population.
Methods: analytical study on the cohort of measles cases hospitalized during the main period of the 2005-2006 outbreak from Bucharest municipality: data source--medical records of the cases enrolled in the study. Enrolled cases were allocated to 5 classes, based on the first two discharging diagnosis. Epi Info software has been used in order to: (a) analyze cases' prevalence by diagnosis classes and demographic characteristics and (b) analysis the prevalence of severe cases defined as cases with duration of hospitalization higher the value calculated at the 75 percentile of the series.
Results: 63% of laboratory confirmed measles cases have been hospitalized, the prevalence of measles cases with specific complications decreased with age. Longer hospitalization was strictly associated (p < .05) with the need to care for cases with measles specifically complications.
Conclusions: when cases severity was expressed in terms of resources allocate (days of hospital stay) it was found that severity is not depending on age group (OR: 1.57: IC 95%: 0.93-2.63; p = 0.09), the study produced solid arguments regarding the good medical strategy (rational resources use) practiced in the infectious diseases clinics of the Bucharest municipality, demonstrated through.: (a) hospitalization authorized with priority for complicated cases and (b) longer hospitalization associated in special with clinically severe cases.