Children hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus infection in Saskatchewan pediatric tertiary care centers,...

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of pediatric respiratory illness.
• Understanding RSV epidemiology and disease severity is crucial for public health management.
• Palivizumab prophylaxis is used to prevent severe RSV in high-risk infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the epidemiology and severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in hospitalized children.
• To evaluate the impact of palivizumab prophylaxis on RSV disease severity.
• To analyze hospitalization data from Royal University Hospital and Regina General Hospital between 2002 and 2005.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of health records for children hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection for at least 24 hours.
• Data collected included patient demographics, palivizumab use, and indicators of disease severity.
• Severity indicators included length of hospitalization, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission, and mechanical ventilation.

Main Results:

• 590 children were hospitalized with RSV; 81.0% had mild to moderate illness, and 18.6% had severe illness.
• 18.6% of severe cases required PICU admission, with 56% of those receiving mechanical ventilation.
• Only 6.6% of all hospitalized children required PICU admission; 22 patients received palivizumab, with most experiencing mild to moderate illness.

Conclusions:

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contributes significantly to pediatric morbidity in Saskatchewan, primarily affecting term infants.
• While the majority of RSV cases present with mild to moderate illness, severe cases requiring intensive care do occur.
• Palivizumab prophylaxis may not consistently prevent significant RSV disease in all treated children.