Impact of rotavirus vaccination on seizure hospitalizations in children: A systematic review

BackgroundPrevious studies found conflicting results about the effect of rotavirus (RV) vaccination on seizure hospitalizations in children younger than 5 years old.ObjectivesTo evaluate the evidence of the impact of RV vaccination on the prevention of seizure hospitalizations in children.MethodsA systematic review was conducted in the electronic database MEDLINE of all observational studies in children younger than 5 years old published since 2006. Two reviewers performed title/abstract, full-text review, and data extraction.ResultsThirteen studies met eligibility criteria. Nine studies reported a significant reduction in seizure hospitalizations upon RV vaccine introduction, three studies reported an absence of significant impact, and one study reported a significant rise in seizure hospitalization after the introduction of RV vaccines.LimitationsThe great variability between study designs, case definitions and potential biases prevent quantifying the impact of RV vaccination against seizure hospitalizations.ConclusionsRV vaccination might prevent seizure hospitalizations in children; however, robust, and well-designed studies are needed to better determine the strength of this association.