tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
. 2025 May;19(5):e70097.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70097. Estimated Incidence Rate of Specific Types of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Hospitalizations Attributable to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Adults in Germany Between 2015 and 2019
Caihua Liang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aleksandra Polkowska-Kramek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Caroline Lade[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lea J Bayer[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Robin Bruyndonckx[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Bennet Huebbe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Worku Biyadgie Ewnetu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pimnara Peerawaranun[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maribel Casas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Thao Mai Phuong Tran[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gordon Brestrich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christof von Eiff[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bradford D Gessner[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elizabeth Begier[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Gernot Rohde[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: RSV incidence in adults is frequently underestimated due to non-specific symptomatology, limited standard-of-care testing, and lower test sensitivity compared to infants. We conducted a retrospective observational study to estimate RSV-attributable incidence of specific types of cardiorespiratory hospitalizations among adults in Germany between 2015 and 2019.
Methods: Information on hospitalizations and the number of people at risk of hospitalization (denominator) was gathered from a Statutory Health Insurance database. A quasi-Poisson regression model accounting for periodic and aperiodic time trends and virus activity was fitted to estimate the RSV-attributable incidence rate (IR) of four specific cardiovascular hospitalizations (arrhythmia, ischemic heart diseases, chronic heart failure exacerbations, and cerebrovascular diseases) and four specific respiratory hospitalizations (influenza/pneumonia, bronchitis/bronchiolitis, chronic lower respiratory tract diseases, and upper respiratory tract diseases).
Results: The estimated RSV-attributable IRs of hospitalizations generally increased with age. Among estimated cardiovascular hospitalizations in adults aged ≥ 60 years, arrhythmia and ischemic heart diseases accounted for the highest incidence of RSV-attributable events, followed by chronic heart failure exacerbation, with annual IR ranges of 157-260, 133-214, and 105-169 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The most frequent RSV-attributable respiratory hospitalizations in adults aged ≥ 60 years were estimated for chronic lower respiratory tract diseases and bronchitis/bronchiolitis, with annual IR ranges of 103-168 and 77-122 per 100,000 person-years, respectively.
Conclusions: RSV causes a considerable burden of respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations in adults in Germany, similar to other respiratory viruses (e.g., influenza and SARS-CoV-2). This highlights the need to implement effective prevention strategies, especially for older adults.
Keywords: Germany; RSV; cardiorespiratory; hospitalization; quasi‐Poisson; time‐series modeling.
. 2025 May;19(5):e70097.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70097. Estimated Incidence Rate of Specific Types of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Hospitalizations Attributable to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Adults in Germany Between 2015 and 2019
Caihua Liang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aleksandra Polkowska-Kramek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Caroline Lade[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lea J Bayer[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Robin Bruyndonckx[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Bennet Huebbe[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Worku Biyadgie Ewnetu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pimnara Peerawaranun[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maribel Casas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Thao Mai Phuong Tran[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gordon Brestrich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Christof von Eiff[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bradford D Gessner[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elizabeth Begier[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Gernot Rohde[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40289699
- PMCID: PMC12035416
- DOI: 10.1111/irv.70097
Background: RSV incidence in adults is frequently underestimated due to non-specific symptomatology, limited standard-of-care testing, and lower test sensitivity compared to infants. We conducted a retrospective observational study to estimate RSV-attributable incidence of specific types of cardiorespiratory hospitalizations among adults in Germany between 2015 and 2019.
Methods: Information on hospitalizations and the number of people at risk of hospitalization (denominator) was gathered from a Statutory Health Insurance database. A quasi-Poisson regression model accounting for periodic and aperiodic time trends and virus activity was fitted to estimate the RSV-attributable incidence rate (IR) of four specific cardiovascular hospitalizations (arrhythmia, ischemic heart diseases, chronic heart failure exacerbations, and cerebrovascular diseases) and four specific respiratory hospitalizations (influenza/pneumonia, bronchitis/bronchiolitis, chronic lower respiratory tract diseases, and upper respiratory tract diseases).
Results: The estimated RSV-attributable IRs of hospitalizations generally increased with age. Among estimated cardiovascular hospitalizations in adults aged ≥ 60 years, arrhythmia and ischemic heart diseases accounted for the highest incidence of RSV-attributable events, followed by chronic heart failure exacerbation, with annual IR ranges of 157-260, 133-214, and 105-169 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The most frequent RSV-attributable respiratory hospitalizations in adults aged ≥ 60 years were estimated for chronic lower respiratory tract diseases and bronchitis/bronchiolitis, with annual IR ranges of 103-168 and 77-122 per 100,000 person-years, respectively.
Conclusions: RSV causes a considerable burden of respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations in adults in Germany, similar to other respiratory viruses (e.g., influenza and SARS-CoV-2). This highlights the need to implement effective prevention strategies, especially for older adults.
Keywords: Germany; RSV; cardiorespiratory; hospitalization; quasi‐Poisson; time‐series modeling.