Older adults with certain underlying conditions are at an increased risk of severe infections from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

If you take your health seriously, don't take RSV lightly—especially if you have certain underlying conditions.

RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms, but certain underlying conditions—like the ones below—put older adults at an increased risk for severe infection, such as pneumonia:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Asthma

Heart failure (HF)

RSV infection can exacerbate certain underlying conditions and even lead to hospitalization.

RSV has been associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for older adults with certain underlying conditions*

Diabetes: approximately 2.4 or 6.4 times more likely to be hospitalized (greater than or equal to 65 years of age)

Coronary artery disease (CAD): approximately 3.8 or 6.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (greater than or equal to 65 years of age)

COPD: approximately 3.5 or 13.4 times more likely to be hospitalized (greater than or equal to 65 years of age)

Asthma†: approximately 2.3 or 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized (greater than or equal to 65 years of age)

Heart failure (HF): approximately 4 to 7.6 times more likely to be hospitalized (greater than or equal to 60 years of age)

*
A study was conducted to estimate the incidence of RSV hospitalization among 1099 adults aged 18 years or older from 2 areas of New York across 3 RSV seasons. The incidence rates of RSV hospitalization were compared among adults at different age groups, geographic areas, and presence of certain medical conditions. The values presented above are ratios of hospitalization rates of those with certain conditions compared with those without, and are not ranges (with the exception of CHF that included adults aged 60-79 years and ≥80 years) but rather observations from the 2 different locations. Estimated incidence rates for all comorbid conditions increased with age.
†
The incidence of RSV hospitalization among adults in the Rochester area was increased but was not considered statistically significant.