Impact of RSV infection on mortality, rehospitalization, and long-term pulmonary, cardiovascular, and functional outcomes in hospitalized adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Bibliographic record
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is increasingly recognized as a significant pathogen in adults, particularly those with underlying comorbidities. However, the burden of RSV on post-hospital outcomes remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the impact of RSV infection on mortality, rehospitalization, and long-term pulmonary, cardiovascular, and functional outcomes in hospitalized adults. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search of major databases until February 2025 identified cohort and observational studies reporting on clinical outcomes in adults with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection. A total of seven eligible studies encompassing 180,125 patients were included. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the ROBINS-I tool. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to assess publication bias. RESULTS: RSV infection was associated with significantly increased 30-day mortality (OR 0.22, 95% CI: 0.12-0.41; P < 0.01, I² = 96%) and 90-day mortality (OR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.19-0.46; P < 0.01, I² = 97%). Although the odds ratios are below 1, this indicates higher mortality in RSV-positive patients, as the reference groups had lower risk. Statistically significant associations were also found for cardiovascular complications (OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.33-0.64) and functional impairments (OR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.42-0.78). No significant association was identified for 90-day rehospitalization (OR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.39-1.14) or pulmonary impairments (OR 1.09, 95% CI: 0.79-1.50). Heterogeneity was high across most outcomes. Publication bias was only evident for the 30-day mortality outcome. CONCLUSIONS: RSV infection in hospitalized adults is associated with elevated short- and medium-term mortality, as well as increased risk of cardiovascular and functional complications post-discharge. These findings highlight the need for RSV-specific prevention strategies, including vaccination and post-acute care planning, particularly for vulnerable adult populations. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.012 | 0.027 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.003 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.020 | 0.043 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.007 | 0.007 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.003 | 0.002 |
| Open science | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Research integrity | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".