RSV hospitalizations linked to considerable burden in adults

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with a considerable burden of hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and in-hospital deaths among adults, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

Using data from the RSV Hospitalization Surveillance Network, Fiona P. Havers, M.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues describe the demographic characteristics and outcomes of adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV in 58 counties in 12 states. Seven surveillance seasons were included, from 2016–2017 through 2022–2023.

The researchers found there were 16,575 RSV-associated hospitalizations in adults during the surveillance period. Excluding the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 seasons, when RSV circulation was affected by COVID-19, hospitalization rates varied from 48.9 to 76.2 per 100,000 adults in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018, respectively.

The lowest rates were seen among adults aged 18 to 49 years (8.6 to 13.1 per 100,000 adults in 2016–2017 and 2022–2023, respectively), and the highest rates were seen for those aged 75 years or older (244.7 to 411.4 per 100,000 adults in 2022–2023 and 2017–2018, respectively). There was variation noted in the annual hospitalization estimates, from 123,000 to 193,000 in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018, respectively.

For the same seasons, the annual ICU admission estimates varied from 24,400 to 34,900. There was also variation seen in estimated annual in-hospital deaths, from 4,680 to 8,620 in 2018–2019 and 2017–2018, respectively. Adults aged 75 years or older accounted for 45.6, 38.6, and 58.7% of all RSV-associated hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and in-hospital deaths, respectively.

“Increasing vaccine coverage among adults at highest risk could reduce associated hospitalizations and severe clinical outcomes,” the authors write.

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