Abstract
Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a pathogen that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms. However, it can sometimes cause serious illness, especially in premature babies and infants.
RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under one year of age worldwide. A significant increase occurs especially during the respiratory season and in compensatory waves in the post-covid era.
Methodology: Data from the National Register of Reimbursed Health Services and the National Register of Hospitalizations were used for the analyses. The number of hospitalizations for RSV infection by age group for the years 2017 to 2021 was analyzed.
Also the number of hospitalizations in children under five years with a diagnosis of acute bronchitis - J20 regardless of the causative agent and especially the diagnosis J20.5, acute bronchitis caused by RSV and J21 bronchiolitis regardless of the causative agent and specifically J21.0 bronchiolitis due to RSV, further diagnosis of pneumonia J12.1 and diagnosis of tracheitis J04 were compared. Results and discussion: Hospitalizations show considerable variation in individual years from 213 to 1 804.
The highest incidence of hospitalization in the age group under one year is documented in 2021, a total of 1 349. If we were to choose an indicator diagnosis for RSV, it is clearly bronchiolitis, when e.g. in 2019, out of200 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis, 151 were caused by RSV, and in 2021, out of 412 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis, 330 were caused by RSV, i.e. more than 75% in both years.
Conclusion: It can be stated that even in the Czech Republic, RSV diseases dominate in the category under one year of age and subsequently in the category under five years of age, but they also occur in older age categories. It is clear from the data that RSV infection constitutes a substantial part of serious hospitalizations in the lowest age group.
The data imply the need to find new preventive measures to prevent this burden.