The impact of neurocysticercosis in California: A review of hospitalized cases

To assess the burden of neurocysticercosis (ncc) in california we examined statewide hospital discharge data for 2009. there were 304 cases hospitalized with ncc identified (incidence = 0.8 per 100,000). cases were mostly latino (84.9%),slightly more likely to be male than female (men 57.6%,women 42.4%) with an average age of 43.5 years. a majority of cases were hospitalized in southern california (72.1%) and many were hospitalized in los angeles county (44.7%). men were more likely than women to have severe disease including hydrocephalus (29.7% vs. 18.6%,p = 0.027),resulting in longer hospitalizations (>4 days,48.0% vs. 32.6%,p = 0.007) that were more costly (charge>$40 thousand men = 46.9% vs. woman = 4.1%,p = 0.026). six deaths were recorded (2.0%). the total of ncc-related hospital charges exceeded $17 million; estimated hospital costs exceeded $5 million. neurocysticercosis causes appreciable disease and exacts a considerable economic burden in california. © 2012 croker et al.