Respiratory syncytial virus-associated mortality in hospitalized infants and young children

Carrie L Byington1, Jacob Wilkes2, Kent Korgenski2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; and carrie.byington@hsc.utah.edu.

Pediatrics
|December 10, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Deaths from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are rare in hospitalized children today. Infants with complex chronic conditions are most affected, but RSV

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Public health surveillance

Background:

  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant hospitalization.
  • Existing mortality data for RSV are outdated, necessitating contemporary analysis.
  • Understanding current RSV-associated mortality is crucial for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the contemporary mortality rate associated with RSV in hospitalized children under two years old.
  • To update estimates of annual RSV-related deaths using recent data.
  • To identify risk factors and patient populations most vulnerable to severe outcomes from RSV.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized large administrative datasets: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) and Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS).
  • Analyzed data from 2000 to 2011, identifying hospitalizations with relevant ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes for RSV infection.
  • Calculated mortality rates per 10,000 admissions and analyzed trends over time.

Main Results:

  • RSV-associated mortality was low: 9.0 deaths/10,000 admissions (KID) and 25.4 deaths/10,000 admissions (PHIS).
  • Primary RSV diagnosis mortality rates decreased significantly by 2011 (OR: 0.27).
  • The majority of deaths occurred in infants with complex chronic conditions or other acute conditions like sepsis.

Conclusions:

  • RSV-associated deaths are uncommon in the 21st century.
  • Children with complex chronic conditions represent the majority of fatalities.
  • The direct contribution of RSV to mortality in these vulnerable children remains unclear.
Abstract

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