Bimodal Effects of Obesity Ratio on Disease Duration of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Children

Background: Morbid obesity may be associated with hospitalization and possibly death from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 infection, suggesting a yet unknown association between obesity and the severity of viral infections. Thus, we examined association between obesity ratios and duration of disease in children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection. Methods: A retrospective survey of 243 children admitted for bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and those who tested positive for a RSV test, were observed from a single institute in Japan. Primary outcome was set as the total days of wheezing in both the outpatient clinic and during hospitalization. Secondary outcomes were as follows: 1) total days of fever (37.5 °C