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

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. 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 < 5 years. From 2010 to 2018, pediatric patients were included in the presence of hospitalization discharge diagnosis for RSV infections, and RSV-related acute bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Epidemiology, demographics, clinical picture and costs were evaluated in RSV-infected patients, overall and stratified by age ranges (0–1, 1–2, 2–5 years) and compared with an age-matched general population. Overall 1378 RSV-infected children aged 0–5 years were included. Among them, the annual incidence rate of RSV-related hospitalizations was 175–195/100,000 people, with a peak in neonates aged < 1 year (689–806/100,000). While nearly 85