Surveillance Lab Meeting December 17, 2009
Deprivation and Disease Ecological Studies. United Kingdom and Wales. Studied the effects of social and material deprivation on hospital admission or mortality for: Gastrointestinal infection. Gynaecologic infection. Neisseria meningitidis infection. Respiratory infections: Acute respiratory infection Pneumonia Influenza
Measuring Deprivation Used Townsend Deprivation Score. Based on 1991 Census data. Proportion of households that are: owner-occupied, have no car, are overcrowded, and have unemployed residents. The more deprived, the higher the score. Divided into five deprivation categories. Postal codes linked to Townsend Deprivation Score. Cases without postal codes were normally excluded.
Results For most infectious diseases; admission rates or mortality increased significantly with increasing deprivation. Admission rates or mortality rates varied by age-group.
Infectious Intestinal Disease Admission Rates (per 10,000 population) Olowokure, B., et al. (1999).
Gynaecologic Infections Olowokure, B., et al. (2004)
Gynaecologic Infections Olowokure, B., et al. (2004)
Meningococcal Disease
Meningococcal Disease Fone et al. (2003)
Respiratory Infections Acute Respiratory Infection Pneumonia Hawker, J.I., et al. (2003)
Age and Deprivation Type of Infection Age Group Incidence Rate Ratio (95% CI) All Respiratory Infections 0-4 1.91 (1.83-2.00) 75+ 1.18 (1.12-1.25) Acute Respiratory Infections 1.89 (1.82-1.96) 5-24 1.26 (1.20-1.32) Pneumonia 1.29 (1.18-1.41) 45-75 1.31 (1.24-1.39) 1.15 (1.10-1.21)
Respiratory Mortality Jordan, R. et al. (2006).
Respiratory Mortality Jordan, R. et al. (2006).
Possible Explanations Increased exposure (Overcrowding or poor housing conditions). Reduced resistance to disease (Malnutrition, poor hygiene). Referral bias: Lower physician threshold for admission for those from deprived backgrounds. Delay in seeking healthcare. Less accessible healthcare services.
Summary There is an association between social and material deprivation and hospital admission or mortality rates. There is an association between age and hospital admission or mortality rates. Depends on infectious disease.
References Olowokure, B., et al. (1999). Deprivation and hospital admission for infectious intestinal diseases. Lancet. 353, 807-808. Olowokure, B., et al. (2004). Influence of material deprivation on hospital admissions for gynaecologic infections. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 23, 535-538. Fone, D.L. et al. (2003). Meningococcal disease and social deprivation: a small area geographical study in Gwent, UK. Epidemiology and Infection. 130, 53-58. Hawker, J.I., et al. (2003). Social deprivation and hospital admission for respiratory infection: an ecological study. Respiratory Medicine. 97, 1219-1224. Jordan, R. et al. (2006). Age, sex, material deprivation and respiratory mortality. Respiratory Medicine. 100, 1282-1285.