In a retrospective analysis published in Infection and Drug Resistance, researchers sought to examine and describe the clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes of severe RSV infection among patients aged ≥65 years and patients aged ≤64 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between April 2021 and August 2021, scientists gathered and compared data between two groups of patients, which included patients aged ≥65 years, designated as the older group, and those aged ≤64 years, designated as the younger group.

Data were obtained and reviewed for 58 patients with RSV infections, including 10 adults—three of whom were in the older group and seven of whom were in the younger group. The researchers revealed that older patients were often infected by their grandchildren, and patients in the older group all had underlying conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sinusitis, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The data of patients who had eight major respiratory symptoms—cough, chills, dyspnea, fatigue, fever, nasal discharge, sore throat, and sputum—were assessed employing the multiplex polymerase chain reaction method.

Additional clinical characteristics observed among the older patient cohort included more severe inflammation, such as elevated leukocyte counts and C-reactive protein levels. The older patients received antibiotic therapy, while no antibiotics were prescribed for the younger group. Moreover, two of the three older patients required hospital admission but survived.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that RSV infections in adults were associated with increased cases among younger individuals and the infection season transitioned to summer, comparable to data from other countries. Moreover, older patients were more severely affected, often necessitating antibiotics due to their inflammatory status.

The authors wrote, “The older patients had underlying diseases, but all adult patients finally survived. More extensive care and treatments, including antibiotic treatment, should be considered for elderly patients infected with RSV.”

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