Long-Term Illness in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022– September 2023

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe illness, but little is known about long-term consequences in hospitalized adults. We surveyed adults (>18 years of age) who survived hospitalization for RSV or COVID-19 during February 2022–September 2023 about physical functioning and quality of life; surveys were conducted 6–12 months after hospitalization. We compared out comes after RSV hospitalization by age (60 vs. 60 years) and to those hospitalized for COVID-19 by us ing multivariable regression models. Among 146 adults hospitalized with RSV, 27.4% reported severe breath lessness and 21.9% poor quality of life at follow-up. Few differences were seen in posthospital illness by age. After adjustment, participants with RSV had 1.81 (95% CI 1.08–3.04) times increased odds of worse dyspnea than did those with COVID-19. Participants reported functional and quality of life impairments after RSV hospitalization, regardless of age, and a postdischarge sequelae constellation similar to that for those hospital ized for COVID-19.