Hospitalizations for measles, 1970-78.

The National Hospital Discharge Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics was analyzed for measles hospitalizations. From 1970-1978 there were an estimated 52,301 hospitalizations for measles, or approximately 5,800 per year. The median patient age was three years, and the median length of stay was four days. Forty-one per cent of the discharges listed respiratory complications, 10 per cent listed otitis media, and 3 per cent listed neurologic complications. Based on this analysis, hospitalizations for measles accounted for 314,063 hospital days during the period 1970-1978.