Certain factors are importance to consider when assessing those at highest risk for severe RSV disease and offering RSV vaccination among older adults, according to findings published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Fiona Havers, MD, and colleagues examined a cohort of 1,634 older adult patients with RSV-associated hospitalization, 54.1% of whom were aged 75 and older. The most common underlying conditions included obesity, COPD, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. The team noted severe outcomes in 18.5% of hospitalized patients aged 60 and older. In total, 17.0% of patients with RSV required admission to the ICU, 4.8% required mechanical ventilation, and 4.7% died. Long-term care (LTC) residents represented 17.2% of cases (95% CI, 14.9% to 19.8%). The findings “highlight the importance of prioritizing those at highest risk for severe RSV disease” and indicate that age, especially 75 and above, LTC facility residence, and underlying medical conditions, including COPD and congestive heart failure, are important to include in shared clinical decision making about RSV vaccination among older adults, according to Dr. Havers and colleagues.
