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RSV burden remains high among children and adults
BALTIMORE — Respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations remained high from 2005 to 2010, according to new data presented at the 16th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research.
“RSV is associated with an annual mean of 17,358 deaths across all ages in the US,” study researcher Carolyn Archer, MSc, said during her presentation here. “Additional information on the disease burden and patterns of RSV will be useful to guide vaccine policy development.”
Archer and colleagues from Wayne State University examined data on age-group and seasonal patterns of RSV-associated hospitalizations in the United States through MarketScan, a compilation of employer-based patient records. They used ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes to identify primary and secondary diagnoses of RSV-associated hospitalizations in the Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental Databases. According to Archer, individual RSV cases could not be adjudicated for the study.
The researchers identified 36,489 RSV-associated hospitalizations among all ages during the 5-year period; 64% among infants aged younger than 12 months and 17% among adolescents and adults aged at least 65 years. According to the researchers, the distinct seasonal peak of RSV-associated illness was identified from November through April of each year.
Archer said the optimal timing for RSV immunization would be during pregnancy or early infancy.
For more information
Archer C. #S14. Presented at: 16th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research; April 22-24, 2013; Baltimore.
Disclosure: Archer reports no relevant financial disclosures.