Most seniors with RSV-linked hospitalization are aged ≥75, according to research

Most respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalizations among seniors aged ≥60 years occur in those aged ≥75 years, and although RSV is less common among seniors, it is associated with more severe disease than COVID-19 or influenza, according to research published in the Oct. 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Fiona P. Havers, M.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues examined characteristics of 3,218 adults aged ≥60 years who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection during July 2022 to June 2023.

The researchers found that 54.1% of a random sample of 1,634 older adult patients with RSV-associated hospitalizations were aged ≥75 years. Obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and diabetes were the most common underlying medical conditions. Overall, 18.5% of patients aged ≥60 years had severe outcomes: 17.0, 4.8, and 4.7% were admitted to an intensive care unit, required mechanical ventilation, and died, respectively.

Diya Surie, M.D., also from the CDC, and colleagues characterized RSV-associated severity among 5,784 adults aged ≥60 years hospitalized with acute respiratory illness and laboratory confirmed RSV, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or influenza infection (5.3, 81.8, and 12.9%, respectively) from 25 hospitals in 20 U.S. states during Feb. 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023.

The researchers found that compared to those hospitalized with COVID-19 or influenza, patients hospitalized with RSV were more likely to receive standard flow oxygen, high-flow nasal cannula or noninvasive ventilation, intensive care unit admission, and invasive mechanical ventilation.

"Health care providers and older adults should consider RSV disease severity when making a shared clinical decision about RSV vaccination," Surie and colleagues write.