Clinical Investigation on Adult Inpatients Contracted Measles: Comparing with Pediatric Measles Inpatients

Age distribution, history of vaccination against measles, clinical signs and symptoms were investigated among a total of 113 adult measles patients admitted in our hospital between January, 2000 and December, 2002. The maximum body temperature, duration of fever, presence of Koplik spot and exanthema among these adult inpatients were compared with those among 1-to-5-year-old inpatients having measles. Concerning age distribution, the peak was found at the age of 20-24 years. Most of adult inpatients had not contracted measles until then and had not been vaccinated against measles. The infection route was unknown except a small number of inpatients. Clinical signs and symptoms among adult inpatients were about the same of those in pediatric inpatients except a sore throat. Complications occurred in 17 cases out of 113 adult inpatients, 4 of them had encephalitis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and the other 4 cases contracted pneumonia. Among the 45 child inpatients, whereas, 23 had complications, 13 of them had pneumonia, 3 contracted otitis media, and an additional 3 suffered from both pneumonia and otitis media. From the results it is reasonably concluded that clinical signs and symptoms among adults impatients with measles are comparable with those of pediatric measles inpatients or slightly severer.