Estimation of the Number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalizations in Adults in the European Union.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in adults that can result in hospitalizations. Estimating RSV-associated hospitalization is critical for planning RSV-related healthcare across Europe.
Methods: We gathered RSV-associated hospitalization estimates from the RSV Consortium in Europe (RESCEU) for adults in Denmark, England, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and Scotland from 2006 to 2017. We extrapolated these estimates to 28 European Union (EU) countries using nearest-neighbor matching, multiple imputations, and 2 sets of 10 indicators.
Results: On average, 158 229 (95% confidence interval [CI], 140 865-175 592) RSV-associated hospitalizations occur annually among adults in the EU (≥18 years); 92% of these hospitalizations occur in adults ≥65 years. Among 75-84 years, the annual average is estimated at 74 519 (95% CI, 69 923-79 115) at a rate of 2.24 (95% CI, 2.10-2.38) per 1000. Among ≥85 years, the annual average is estimated at 37 904 (95% CI, 32 444-43 363) at a rate of 2.99 (95% CI, 2.56-3.42).
Conclusions: Our estimates of RSV-associated hospitalizations in adults are the first analysis integrating available data to provide the disease burden across the EU. Importantly, for a condition considered in the past to be primarily a disease of young children, the average annual hospitalization estimate in adults was lower but of a similar magnitude to the estimate in young children (0-4 years): 158 229 (95% CI, 140 865-175 592) versus 245 244 (95% CI, 224 688-265 799).
Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. R. O.-Y. reports support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)–funded PROMISE consortium. T. K. F. reports support from the IMI-funded PROMISE consortium and consulting fees from Pfizer as chairperson for European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference symposium on RSV infections among adults. M. B. is an employee of Sanofi Vaccines and may hold stock in the company. H. C. reports grants, personal fees, and nonfinancial support from the World Health Organization, grants and personal fees from Sanofi Pasteur, and grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; all payments were made via the University of Edinburgh. H. C. is a shareholder in the Journal of Global Health Ltd. J. P. declares unrestricted grants from Sanofi to the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel) for research on RSV, influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Nivel received a research grant from the University of Edinburgh for the submitted work. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.
(© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)