Objective To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of measles in patients of different age groups in Northeast China in 2014.Methods The clinical data of patients with measles in ten hospitals of infectious diseases in Northeast China from January 2014 to June 2014 were collected.Patients were divided into <16 age group and ≥16 age group, and the epidemiology , clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of all patients were retrospectively reviewed .SPSS 17.0 was used for data analysis.Results There were 1 401 patients with measles, in which 402 were <16-year old, and 999 were ≥16-year old.Clinical manifestations were mainly maculopapule (100.0%), fever (84.58%), cough (85.80%), Koplik’ s spot (73.23%), pharyngeal hyperemia (71.23%), diarrhea (43.97%), expectoration (40.97%), tears (39.40%) and runny nose (30.55%).The incidences of Koplik’s spot, sputum, pharyngeal hyperemia and diarrhea in <16 age group were lower than those in ≥16 age group (χ2 =8.364, 29.768, 10.953 and 6.701, P<0.05 or <0.01); while the incidence of runny nose was higher than that in ≥16 age group (χ2 =6.703, P<0.05).Abnormalities were found in blood routine examination, C-reactive protein (CRP), liver and kidney function, serum electrolyte levels, myocardial enzymes, and so on.Increasing in WBC, PLT and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CKMB), and decreasing in WBC were observed in 38(9.45%), 122(30.35%), 279(69.40%) and 105(26.12%), patients in <16 age group, which were higher than those in ≥16 age group [45(4.5%), 14(1.40%), 347(34.73%) and 202(20.22%)], and the differences were of statistical significance (χ2 =12.593, 274.033, 139.385 and 5.830, P<0.05 or P<0.01).Increasing in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), CRP, total bilirubin level (TBil), creatine kinase (CK), and decreasing in albumin (Alb), K+, Na+, Cl-were observed in 70(17.41%), 7(1.74%), 38(9.45%), 7(1.74%), and 214(53.23%), 59(14.68%), 45(11.19%), 94(23.38%) patients in <16 age group, which were lower than those in ≥16 age group [668(66.87%), 89(8.91%), 277(27.73%), 714(71.47), and 268(26.83%), 339(33.93%), 642(64.26%), 450 (45.05%)], and the differences were of statistical significance (χ2 =281.230, 23.073, 50.687, 159.740, and 14.674,114.286, 44.268, 271.546, P<0.01).Laryngitis and pneumonia were the most common complications.The incidence of laryngitis in <16 age group was 12.69% (51/402), which was higher than that in ≥16 years group (93/999, 9.31%,χ2 =3.545, P<0.05);while the incidence of spot shadows demonstrated by X-ray in <16 years group ( 72.89%, 121/166 ) was higher than that in ≥16 years group (265/445, 59.55%,χ2 =9.249, P<0.01).Conclusions There are differences in clinical features of measles in patients between <16 age group and ≥16 age group.Basic immunization in children and revaccination in adults should be enhanced to control the epidemics of measles .