Long-Term Illness in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022–September 2023

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe illness, but little is known about long-term consequences in hospitalized adults. We surveyed adults (>18 years of age) who survived hospitalization for RSV or COVID-19 during February 2022-September 2023 about physical functioning and quality of life; surveys were conducted 6-12 months after hospitalization. We compared outcomes after RSV hospitalization by age (<60 vs. >60 years) and to those hospitalized for COVID-19 by using multivariable regression models. Among 146 adults hospitalized with RSV, 27.4% reported severe breathlessness and 21.9% poor quality of life at follow-up. Few differences were seen in posthospital illness by age. After adjustment, participants with RSV had 1.81 (95% CI 1.08-3.04) times increased odds of worse dyspnea than did those with COVID-19. Participants reported functional and quality of life impairments after RSV hospitalization, regardless of age, and a postdischarge sequelae constellation similar to that for those hospitalized for COVID-19.

Source: Emerging infectious diseases

DOI: 10.3201/eid3114.241982

Language: English

Topic: Respiratory viral infections research

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Awards: Mentored Patient Oriented Research in ARDS and Critical Illness Outcomes, G2318978926, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR), Measuring and Learning from Care Variation in Sepsis

OpenAlex ID: W7125499855