Infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can have a significant, adverse impact on the daily life of U.S. adults aged 50 years and older, investigators say.
RSV is a common infection that affects the elderly and the very young and can cause debilitating illness. It is estimated to infect up to 10% of nursing home residents per year, and leads to death in 2% to 5% of cases, studies have found. Long-term care facilities are vulnerable to seasonal outbreaks of the disease.
The study involved interviews with 30 participants and was designed to assess the validity of the InFLUenza Patient Reported Outcome (FLU-PRO) as a tool for capturing the patient experience of RSV illness in older adults. Participants with comorbid conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included, since most patients with RSV have multiple chronic illnesses, the researchers noted.
The interviews revealed a range of impacts from RSV, including disruptions in productivity, social activities and relationships, emotional functioning, physical functioning, sleep and leisure activities, the researchers reported.
A majority of participants reported that symptoms lasted from one week to a month beyond the acute disease stage. Fully 83% reported impaired physical functioning, and 60% said the disease prevented them from engaging in leisure activities and/or hobbies. Most (93%) described emotional impacts, reported John H. Powers III, of George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, in Washington.
The signs and symptoms described by patients and the language used in their descriptions generally matched the items in the FLU-PRO. It was “easy to understand and captured participants’ experiences of RSV illness,” Powers and colleagues wrote.
The study was published in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.
