Trends and costs of pertussis hospitalizations in Portugal, 2000 to 2015: from 0 to 95 years old

Background: Pertussis has caused several outbreaks and concern worldwide. Despite high vaccination coverage, people of all ages are still affected with significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to analyse all pertussis hospitalizations in Portugal to help to delineate preventive policies. Methods: Data were collected from a Portuguese administrative database, which contains all registered hospitalizations in mainland Portugal. Cases were identified using the ICD-9-CM code 033.x (whooping cough) as principal or secondary diagnosis, with hospital discharges between 2000 and 2015. Data were analysed by age groups. Results: Of 2281 hospitalizations, 94% occurred in infants ( Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the need to adopt new preventive strategies mainly focused on infants, to reduce morbidity and costs of hospitalizations related to pertussis.