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Long-Term Illness in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022-September 2023
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

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

Aleda M Leis, Kelsey N Womack, Courtney Maxcy, Ellen Caldwell, Caroline Cheng, Sydney A Cornelison, Diya Surie, Fatimah S Dawood, Sharon Saydah, Manjusha Gaglani, …
Emerging infectious diseases, Vol.31(14 Suppl), pp.S20-S29
12/2025
DOI: 10.3201/eid3114.241982
PMCID: PMC12829483
PMID: 41570181
url
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3114.241982View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

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.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.

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