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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 May 6;17(5):688.
doi: 10.3390/ijms17050688.

Varicella Skin Complications in Childhood: A Case Series and a Systematic Review of the Literature

Elena Bozzola  1 , Mauro Bozzola  2 , Andrzej Krzysztofiak  3 , Alberto Eugenio Tozzi  4 , May El Hachem  5 , Alberto Villani  6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Varicella Skin Complications in Childhood: A Case Series and a Systematic Review of the Literature

Elena Bozzola et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Even if varicella is generally considered a harmless disease in childhood, severe complications may occur. We examined varicella skin complications (VSCs) in hospitalized immunologically healthy children, over a nine-year period. We also systematically analyzed previous reports to calculate the rate of VSCs in the literature. VSCs occurred in 16.4% of children hospitalized for varicella. This figure is in accordance with the literature, as the range of VSCs was 2.6%-41.2%. Skin complications may represent determinants of hospitalization and of other indirect costs in young children.

Keywords: children; hospitalization; skin complication; varicella.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly incidence of hospitalized varicella skin complications.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of varicella skin complications (VSCs) in hospitalized patients (the % weight of the studies is calculated on the inverse of the variance by using the DerSimonian and Laird method).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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