Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that causes respiratory infections. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the bronchioles within the lungs) and pneumonia among infants and children under one year of age.
Up to 126,300 children are hospitalized annually in the United States for bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Annual RSV outbreaks peak in February, and account for one fourth to one third of all pediatric hospitalizations for pneumonia and one half of the hospitalizations for bronchiolitis.
RSV is very contagious. It is believed that by the age of three, almost all children will have had an RSV infection. Fortunately, in most cases, the infection is not serious.
A person is most contagious during the first two to four days of RSV symptoms.
RSV is spread from respiratory secretions, through close contact with infected people, or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. Infection can occur when infectious material comes into contact with mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, or nose, and possibly through the inhalation of droplets generated by a sneeze or cough.
When a person becomes infected with RSV, the virus begins to multiply within the body. After four to six days, RSV symptoms can begin. The period between becoming infected and the start of RSV symptoms is called the RSV incubation period.
For infants, RSV symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Wheezing.
RSV also causes repeated infections throughout life. In adults, RSV symptoms are similar to those of the
common cold, including:
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Body aches
- Headache
- Fever.
Severe lower respiratory tract disease can occur at any age. If severe symptoms of RSV occur, a person can experience:
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid breathing
- Inability to get enough oxygen
- A bluish or purplish tinge to skin.
RSV infections usually occur during annual community outbreaks, often lasting four to six months, during the late fall, winter, or early spring months (November through April). The timing and severity of outbreaks in a community vary from year to year.
In order to make an RSV diagnosis, the doctor will ask a number of questions and perform a physical exam, including listening to the lungs with a stethoscope. In infants, an RSV diagnosis can be suspected based on severe illness during an outbreak of RSV in the community. An RSV diagnosis is more difficult to make in children than in adults because RSV symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory viruses, such as a virus that causes the common cold.
There is no RSV treatment that will kill RSV; therefore, RSV treatment goals focus on treating the symptoms as the body fights the virus.
During their first RSV infection, between 25 percent and 40 percent of infants and young children have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) or pneumonia, and 0.5 percent to 2 percent require hospitalization. The majority of children hospitalized for an RSV infection are under six months of age. Most children recover from RSV in 8 to 15 days.
In adults, the symptoms of RSV are usually less severe. RSV symptoms in adults closely resemble symptoms of the
common cold.
The following risk factors increase the chance of developing RSV:
- Premature birth (35 weeks or earlier)
- Low birth weight
- History of asthma
- Attending childcare or daycare
- Congenital heart disease
- Certain lung diseases, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Drugs or conditions that suppress the immune system
- Household crowding (four or more children in the home)
- Exposure to tobacco smoke
- Being elderly.
At this point, there is no vaccine available to prevent RSV; however, there are two ways to prevent RSV: good infection control practices and Synagis®.
Certain RSV topics above have a hyperlink to additional eMedTV articles that cover these topics in more depth. Click on the specific link to view the article.
Other eMedTV articles on RSV include:
Add this article to your Favorites
Email this article
Print