Background: The objective was to describe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations in Alberta, Canada over a 13-year period with an emphasis on the incidence and risk factors for repeat hospitalizations attributable to new RSV infections.
Methods: This was a retrospective database analysis. The Alberta Health Services Discharge Abstract Database was searched for patients <5 years of age admitted to any hospital with a primary diagnosis of RSV from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2017. Clinical characteristics were compared for children with repeat RSV admission during the same RSV season (but >30 days apart so presumably due to separate infections) compared with all other children with RSV admissions.
Results: During the study period, 10 212 children had 10 967 RSV admissions. The RSV hospitalization rate was 1.6%. A total of 666 children (6.5%) were readmitted for RSV at least once during the study period, of whom 433 (4.2%) were readmitted within 30 days of the initial hospital discharge. There were 36 children (0.35%) with 2 RSV admissions >30 days apart during the same RSV season. When compared to all other children with RSV admissions, they were more likely to have congenital heart disease or to have been diagnosed with RSV pneumonia (vs bronchiolitis or upper respiratory tract infection) during their initial hospitalization.
Conclusions: The RSV hospitalization rate in children <5 years of age was 1.6%. Repeat RSV infections requiring readmission during the same RSV season occurred following only 0.35% of RSV hospitalizations.
Keywords: hospitalization; readmission; respiratory syncytial virus.
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