Risk of Cardiorespiratory Events Following Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Related Hospitalization

Abstract 

Importance  Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may trigger cardiorespiratory events in adults.

Objective  To assess the risk of cardiorespiratory events in the 180 days following RSV-related hospitalization compared with a control period in adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This self-controlled case series study had an observation period from January 1, 2017, through March 31, 2024. Data were obtained from the deidentified Optum Market Clarity Dataset, including RSV-related hospitalization and associated outcomes, which were identified based on diagnosis codes. Adults with 1 or more RSV-related hospitalizations and 1 or more cardiorespiratory events (myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] exacerbation, congestive heart failure [CHF] exacerbation, and arrhythmia) were included.

Exposure  RSV-related hospitalization.

Main Outcomes and Measures  A conditional Poisson regression model was fitted to compare the incidence of cardiorespiratory events during the risk period (ie, ≤180 days after RSV-related hospital index date) and control periods (ie, >21 days before or >180 days after the index date). Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% CIs were estimated and adjusted for time-varying covariates.

Results  A total of 11 887 patients (mean [SD] age, 69.4 [15.5] years; 7303 females [61.4%]) with RSV-related hospitalization were included. An increased risk was associated with each cardiorespiratory event during the first 14 days following RSV-related hospitalization, with the highest IRR estimates observed in the initial 7 days. For MI, the IRRs were 8.7 (95% CI, 6.7-11.2) during days 1 to 7, decreasing to 5.2 (95% CI, 3.7-7.2) during days 8 to 14 and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.6-4.3) during days 15 to 21. For stroke, the IRRs were 7.4 (95% CI, 5.5-10.1), 5.9 (95% CI, 4.2-8.3), and 3.7 (95% CI, 2.3-5.9) during the first 3 weeks with a similar pattern for CHF exacerbation (12.5 [95% CI, 10.5-14.8], 4.1 [95% CI, 3.1-5.5], and 2.4 [95% CI, 1.6-3.6], respectively). For COPD exacerbation and arrhythmia, the IRRs decreased during the first 3 weeks from 23.1 (95% CI, 20.2-26.5) through day 7 to 1.3 (95% CI, 0.8-2.4) during days 15 to 21 and from 16.5 (95% CI, 14.5-18.7) to 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1-2.5), respectively.

Conclusions and Relevance  This study demonstrated that RSV, similar to influenza and SARS-CoV-2, was associated with an increased risk of cardiorespiratory events 2 weeks following RSV-related hospitalization, and some conditions had significant risk elevations up to 180 days after admission. The findings reinforce the need to increase RSV immunization in adults.