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Palivizumab prophylaxis reduced recurrent wheezing incidence
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Preterm infants who receive palivizumab prophylaxis have lower occurrences of recurrent wheezing throughout the first 3 years of life, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
The observational, prospective, multicenter, case-control study included 444 preterm infants born between 33 and 35 weeks’ gestational age, 349 of whom received palivizumab (Synagis, MedImmune) for the first 6 months of life. Parents reported on physicians’ assessment of recurrent wheezing using a mobile phone-based reporting system. Standard medical practice was used when deciding to use palivizumab during the 2007-2008 respiratory syncytial virus season.
Researchers found that recurrent wheezing was less common in the palivizumab group (6.4%) compared with the control group (18.9%). Participants in the palivizumab group also had fewer outpatient visits due to respiratory disease compared with the control group (RR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.83-0.94). However, no significant difference was seen in the number of hospitalizations between the two groups (RR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.51-1.29).
“Palivizumab prophylaxis in preterm infants 33 to 35 [weeks’ gestational age] is an effective intervention to prevent subsequent recurrent wheezing,” the researchers wrote. “This study further supports the benefit of administration of palivizumab to this group of preterm infants for better respiratory outcomes.”
Disclosure: See study for a full list of disclosures.
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