Clinical and economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus in children aged 0–5 years in Italy

Abstract Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is among the leading causes of hospitalization due to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children younger than 5 years worldwide and the second cause of infant death after malaria. RSV infection occurs in almost all the infants before the second year of life with variable clinical severity, often requiring medical assistance. This analysis investigated patients aged 0–5 years with RSV infection focusing on epidemiology, clinical features, and economic burden of RSV-associated hospitalizations in a setting of Italian real clinical practice. Methods An observational retrospective analysis was conducted on administrative databases of healthcare entities covering around 2.6 million residents of whom 120,000 health-assisted infants aged