Lack of impact of rotavirus vaccines on seizure-related hospitalizations in children under 5 years old in Spain

Introduction: Up to date the impact of rotavirus (RV) vaccines on seizures has been poorly evaluated, with some studies but not all, showing different degrees of protection. Objectives: To assess the impact of RV vaccines on convulsions-related hospitalizations among children under 5 years of age residing in the Region of Valencia, Spain. Methods: A population-based, ecological study using the hospital discharge record (MBDS), the population-based administrative database (SIP) and the vaccine register (SIV), among Valencia Region's children <5 years old, during 2003 – 2015. Impact of vaccination on seizures-related hospitalization rates (780.3* ICD-9-MC code) was estimated by a multivariate Bayesian mixed Poisson regression model. Results: Since RV vaccines licensure in 2007, its coverage rate increased up to around 42%. When the impact of vaccination against seizures was controlled for potential confounders in the multivariate analysis, there was a non-statistically significant protective effect. Conclusions: We could not find any impact of RV vaccine coverage on seizure-related hospitalizations in children <5 years.