Evaluation of using ICD-10 code data for respiratory syncytial virus surveillance

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children.
• ICD-10-based syndromic surveillance offers rapid, standardized data transmission for public health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of RSV-specific ICD-10 codes for epidemiological surveillance.
• To compare RSV epidemiology derived from ICD-10 codes versus virological data.
• To determine the sensitivity and specificity of ICD-10 codes for identifying RSV infections.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of ICD-10-based ALRI surveillance data linked with virological surveillance in Germany.
• Description of RSV epidemiology using both ICD-10 and virological data.
• Calculation of sensitivity and specificity for RSV-specific ICD-10 codes, individually and in combination with general acute respiratory infection (ARI) codes.

Main Results:

• RSV-specific ICD-10 codes demonstrated low sensitivity (6%) but high specificity (99.8%) for detecting RSV infections.
• Combining RSV-specific codes with general ALRI codes (J18.-, J20.- or J12.-, J18.-, J20.-, J21.-, J22) yielded moderate sensitivity (44%) with sustained high specificity (90-91%) in children under 5 during RSV seasons.
• Epidemiological patterns of RSV were consistent between ICD-10 and virological data.

Conclusions:

• RSV-specific ICD-10 codes are useful for indicating RSV epidemiology but underestimate actual infection numbers.
• Combining RSV-specific and general ALRI ICD-10 codes enhances the accuracy of RSV case identification.
• Further research is needed to validate this combined coding approach in diverse settings.