• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

BMJ Open . Disease burden caused by respiratory syncytial virus compared with influenza among adults: a retrospective cohort study from Eastern Finl

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
BMJ Open


. 2022 Dec 19;12(12):e060805.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060805.
Disease burden caused by respiratory syncytial virus compared with influenza among adults: a retrospective cohort study from Eastern Finland in 2017-2018


Aleksi Hämäläinen[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ellamaria Savinainen[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Sari Hämäläinen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Katariina Sivenius[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Juha Kauppinen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Irma Koivula[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Riitta-Liisa Patovirta[SUP] 2 [/SUP]



Affiliations
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most important causes of lower respiratory tract illnesses. In this study, we examined the number and severity of RSV infections among adult patients. The underlying diseases and background information of patients with RSV were examined and compared with the patients with influenza.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Patients receiving tertiary care services in Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) district in Eastern Finland.
Participants: 725 patients (152 with RSV infection and 573 with influenza) treated in KUH between November 2017 and May 2018.
Primary and secondary outcome measures: Hospitalisation and mortality.
Results: Compared with influenza, RSV caused a more serious disease in terms of hospitalisation (84.2% vs 66.0%, p<0.001), incidence of pneumonia (37.5% vs 23.2%, p<0.001), need for antibiotics (67.1% vs 47.3%, p<0.001) and supplemental oxygen (50.7% vs 31.2%, p<0.001). The all-cause mortality during hospitalisation and 30 days after discharge was higher among the RSV-infected patients (8.6% vs 3.5%, p=0.010). Solid malignancies (23.1% vs 5.0%, p=0.042) and chronic kidney disease (30.8% vs 5.8%, p=0.011) were more common among the RSV-infected non-survivors compared with survivors. RSV was an independent risk factor for hospitalisation (adjusted OR (aOR) 2.035; 95% CI 1.17 to 3.55) and mortality (aOR 2.288; 95% CI 1.09 to 4.81) compared with influenza.
Conclusions: Among all the screened patients, those with RSV infection were older and had more underlying conditions than patients with influenza. They had increased likelihood of hospitalisation and mortality when compared with influenza. Solid malignancies and chronic kidney disease seemed to be independent risk factors for death among RSV-infected patients. During RSV and influenza epidemics, it is important to test patients with respiratory symptoms for RSV and influenza to prevent the spread of the infections among elderly and chronically ill patients.

Keywords: epidemiology; infection control; respiratory infections.
 
Back
Top Bottom