Seasonal Incidence of Medically Attended Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection From 2015 to 2019 in a Cohort of Adults With High-risk Conditions

Category	Detail
Condition	Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection in adults with high-risk conditions
Key Mechanisms	RSV causes respiratory illness ranging from mild to severe; adults with underlying health conditions have increased risk of severe outcomes
Target Population	Adults aged ≥18 years with at least one high-risk condition (e.g., COPD, asthma, heart failure, diabetes, immunosuppression)
Care Setting	Outpatient medical settings within a defined community health system

Estimated incidence of RSV-related medically attended acute respiratory illness (MAARI) was 94.1 per 10,000 high-risk adults across seasons.
Incidence increased with age, highest among adults ≥75 years (150.5 per 10,000).
RSV infection in adults is likely underdiagnosed due to nonspecific symptoms, reduced viral shedding, and lack of routine testing.

Consider RSV testing in adults with high-risk conditions presenting with acute respiratory illness, despite nonspecific symptoms.
Use multiplex viral panels for accurate RSV detection when possible.

Manage RSV infection symptomatically in high-risk adults; no specific RSV treatments routinely available for this group.
Monitor for progression to severe respiratory illness, especially in older adults and those with multiple high-risk conditions.

Surveillance of RSV incidence in high-risk adult populations is important for vaccine planning and healthcare resource allocation.
Monitor seasonal RSV patterns to anticipate healthcare needs.

Adults with chronic cardiac, respiratory, liver, kidney diseases, diabetes, or immunocompromised status are at increased risk of severe RSV outcomes.
Underdiagnosis may lead to underestimation of RSV burden and delayed management.

Adults aged ≥18 years with at least one high-risk condition in a Wisconsin community.

RSV testing is not routinely performed in outpatient settings due to lack of specific treatments; symptomatic management is standard.

Identify adults with high-risk conditions early during respiratory illness seasons for potential RSV infection.
Employ multiplex viral testing to improve detection rates of RSV in adults presenting with acute respiratory illness.
Recognize the increased incidence and severity of RSV in older adults and those with multiple comorbidities.
Use epidemiologic data to guide preventive strategies and resource planning for RSV in high-risk adult populations.

Clinical Scorecard: Seasonal Patterns of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections Requiring Medical Attention Among High-risk Adults: A Study from 2015 to 2019