tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Health Sci Rep
. 2026 Feb 26;9(3):e71870.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.71870. eCollection 2026 Mar.
The Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections on Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study From a University Hospital in Central Italy
Nunzio Zotti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Di Serafino[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luca Carmisciano[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Laura Baglietto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michele Cristofano[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Foltran[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ombretta Paolilli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Andrea Davide Porretta[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Guglielmo Arzilli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mauro Pistello[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Caterina Rizzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background and aims: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have a relevant impact on public health in terms of prevalence and costs associated with the diseases. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to adopt accurate surveillance systems to face new emergencies, the aim of our work is to describe ARIs other then COVID-19 and their impact on healthcare facilities.
Methods: This retrospective study used an ecological approach to connect emergency department records and laboratory test results from a University Hospital in Italy. A time-series analysis has been performed to assess the association between weekly pathogen-specific positivity counts and ARI-related ED admissions.
Results: During the study period, 33,101 ED presentations for ARI were registered, resulting in 7426 hospital admissions. ARI cases and viral diagnoses showed a seasonal peak during the late weeks of the year and early weeks of the following one. A reduction in ED admissions has been found in 2020, while the average weekly rate was 30.8% in 2020, as compared with 21.7% in 2017-2019. Analysis by age group showed a peak of accesses in the last weeks of 2021 for the < 1 and 1-4 years old.
Conclusions: Data on ARI-related admissions highlight seasonal trends and age-related vulnerabilities, providing evidence to guide public health policies and support health system preparedness to respond to future epidemic waves.
Keywords: RSV; acute respiratory infection; emergency department; influenza.
. 2026 Feb 26;9(3):e71870.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.71870. eCollection 2026 Mar.
The Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections on Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study From a University Hospital in Central Italy
Nunzio Zotti[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Di Serafino[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luca Carmisciano[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Laura Baglietto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michele Cristofano[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Foltran[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ombretta Paolilli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Andrea Davide Porretta[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Guglielmo Arzilli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mauro Pistello[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Caterina Rizzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41767360
- PMCID: PMC12946482
- DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.71870
Background and aims: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have a relevant impact on public health in terms of prevalence and costs associated with the diseases. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to adopt accurate surveillance systems to face new emergencies, the aim of our work is to describe ARIs other then COVID-19 and their impact on healthcare facilities.
Methods: This retrospective study used an ecological approach to connect emergency department records and laboratory test results from a University Hospital in Italy. A time-series analysis has been performed to assess the association between weekly pathogen-specific positivity counts and ARI-related ED admissions.
Results: During the study period, 33,101 ED presentations for ARI were registered, resulting in 7426 hospital admissions. ARI cases and viral diagnoses showed a seasonal peak during the late weeks of the year and early weeks of the following one. A reduction in ED admissions has been found in 2020, while the average weekly rate was 30.8% in 2020, as compared with 21.7% in 2017-2019. Analysis by age group showed a peak of accesses in the last weeks of 2021 for the < 1 and 1-4 years old.
Conclusions: Data on ARI-related admissions highlight seasonal trends and age-related vulnerabilities, providing evidence to guide public health policies and support health system preparedness to respond to future epidemic waves.
Keywords: RSV; acute respiratory infection; emergency department; influenza.