Department of Pediatrics, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Flushing, New York 11355, USA.
Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76706, USA.
Pulm Med. 2024 Oct 18;2024:2131098. doi: 10.1155/2024/2131098. eCollection 2024.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of bronchiolitis in infants and young children. Bronchiolitis, an acute inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, can lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death. We aimed to compare the incidence and severity of RSV infection in children aged 0-60 months before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients aged 0-60 months who tested positive for RSV between May 1, 2018, and May 31, 2022, in a community hospital in Queens County, New York City, United States. Comparisons were made between seasons 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 as before, and seasons 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Severity of RSV infection was assessed using the Bronchiolitis Severity Score (BSS). Data were analyzed using R software, a value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The incidence of RSV infection in seasons 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 peaked from mid-October to February, whereas the first season during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) was truncated with a very low incidence of RSV infection, and season 2021-2022 peaked from September to January, with the highest incidence (37%) and lower frequency of RSV infection at any given point. Patients during the season 2021-2022 were older ( [2, 196.6] = 12.5, < 0.001, 95% = [5.4, 25.6]) and had milder illness ( [2, 187.5] = 7.5, < 0.01, 95% = [2.1, 19.2]). We observed a lower incidence of RSV infection and a lower rate of hospitalization for RSV during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second RSV season during the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier, lasted longer, and had a lower frequency. Older children with milder illnesses were affected most during this season. RSV epidemiology and disease burden were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and could have significant ramifications for its prevention and control strategies.
呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）是婴儿和幼儿细支气管炎的主要病因。细支气管炎是下呼吸道的急性炎症，可导致肺炎、呼吸衰竭和死亡。我们旨在比较 COVID-19 大流行前后 0-60 个月儿童的 RSV 感染发生率和严重程度。
对美国纽约市皇后区一家社区医院 2018 年 5 月 1 日至 2022 年 5 月 31 日期间检测出 RSV 阳性的 0-60 个月患儿进行回顾性图表审查。比较 2018-2019 年和 2019-2020 年为之前，2020-2021 年和 2021-2022 年为 COVID-19 大流行期间。使用毛细支气管炎严重程度评分（BSS）评估 RSV 感染的严重程度。使用 R 软件分析数据， < 0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
2018-2019 年和 2019-2020 年的 RSV 感染发生率在 10 月中旬至 2 月达到高峰，而 COVID-19 大流行期间的第一个季节（2020-2021 年）被截断，RSV 感染发生率非常低，2021-2022 年的高峰期从 9 月到 1 月，发病率最高（37%），任何特定时间点的 RSV 感染频率较低。2021-2022 年期间的患者年龄较大（ [2, 196.6] = 12.5, < 0.001, 95% = [5.4, 25.6])且病情较轻（ [2, 187.5] = 7.5, < 0.01, 95% = [2.1, 19.2]）。
我们观察到 COVID-19 大流行期间 RSV 感染的发生率较低，因 RSV 住院的比例也较低。COVID-19 大流行期间的第二个 RSV 季节开始较早，持续时间较长，频率较低。在此季节，年龄较大且病情较轻的儿童受影响最大。RSV 的流行病学和疾病负担受到 COVID-19 大流行的影响，可能对其预防和控制策略产生重大影响。
