tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Infect Dis Rep
. 2024 May 31;16(3):491-498.
doi: 10.3390/idr16030037. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Hospitalizations in the Elderly in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Italy as a Useful Proxy for Targeting Vaccine Preventive Strategies
Francesca Centrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniela Loconsole[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alfredo Marziani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Valentina Annachiara Orlando[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Arianna Delle Fontane[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martina Minelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maria Chironna[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
RSV infection causes severe respiratory illness and mortality in the elderly, especially in the presence of comorbidities. Early identification of infection would result in appropriate clinical-therapeutic management, avoiding hospitalizations, the risk of healthcare-associated infections, and inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, thus reducing healthcare costs and fighting antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to assess RSV hospitalizations in subjects >64 years hospitalized in a large tertiary care hospital in Southern Italy, in order to assess their usefulness as a proxy for targeting a potential vaccination strategy. Fifty-two RSV-positive patients were identified from the 2014-2015 to the 2022-2023 seasons. RSV type B was found in 71.2% of cases. The median age was 78 years (IQR: 72-84) and 40.4% of the subjects had at least one comorbidity; 5.8% needed intensive care. The use of combined rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2/influenza/RSV identification in primary care settings may contribute to an improved definition of the burden of RSV in the elderly. The implementation of an anti-RSV vaccination strategy in the elderly population would reduce direct and indirect infection costs. More robust epidemiological data in Italy are needed for targeted preventive strategies.
Keywords: RSV infection; RSV vaccine; Southern Italy; elderly; hospitalization; prevention strategy; surveillance; vaccination; viral infectious diseases.
. 2024 May 31;16(3):491-498.
doi: 10.3390/idr16030037. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Hospitalizations in the Elderly in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Italy as a Useful Proxy for Targeting Vaccine Preventive Strategies
Francesca Centrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniela Loconsole[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alfredo Marziani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Valentina Annachiara Orlando[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Arianna Delle Fontane[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Martina Minelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Maria Chironna[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38920893
- PMCID: PMC11204164
- DOI: 10.3390/idr16030037
RSV infection causes severe respiratory illness and mortality in the elderly, especially in the presence of comorbidities. Early identification of infection would result in appropriate clinical-therapeutic management, avoiding hospitalizations, the risk of healthcare-associated infections, and inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, thus reducing healthcare costs and fighting antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to assess RSV hospitalizations in subjects >64 years hospitalized in a large tertiary care hospital in Southern Italy, in order to assess their usefulness as a proxy for targeting a potential vaccination strategy. Fifty-two RSV-positive patients were identified from the 2014-2015 to the 2022-2023 seasons. RSV type B was found in 71.2% of cases. The median age was 78 years (IQR: 72-84) and 40.4% of the subjects had at least one comorbidity; 5.8% needed intensive care. The use of combined rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2/influenza/RSV identification in primary care settings may contribute to an improved definition of the burden of RSV in the elderly. The implementation of an anti-RSV vaccination strategy in the elderly population would reduce direct and indirect infection costs. More robust epidemiological data in Italy are needed for targeted preventive strategies.
Keywords: RSV infection; RSV vaccine; Southern Italy; elderly; hospitalization; prevention strategy; surveillance; vaccination; viral infectious diseases.