RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS-SPECIFIC HOSPITALIZATIONS IN MEXICAN CHILDREN AGED <5 YEARS: AGE DISTRIBUTION AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES FROM 2022-2024
Author(s)
Cintia Parellada, PhD1, Cassia Veiga, PhD1, Mariana Rosim, PhD1, Erick Kazu, PhD2, Liza Uchimura, PhD2, Dara Ferreira, BSc1, Vinicius Goularte-Silva, PhD2, Ana Luiza Bierrembach, PhD2.
1MSD Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Precision Data, São Paulo, Brazil.
1MSD Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Precision Data, São Paulo, Brazil.
OBJECTIVES: To assess age distribution and clinical outcomes of RSV-specific coded hospitalizations among children <5 years in Mexico from 2022-2024.
METHODS: This retrospective study used the Mexican Sectorial Database (~70% population coverage). RSV-specific hospitalizations were identified through ICD-10 codes. Length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital case fatality rate (CFR) were stratified by age group and year; age distributions were compared using chi-square tests. The proportion of RSV-confirmed codes among potentially RSV-related respiratory hospitalizations (RSV-specific plus syndromic codes for bronchitis/bronchiolitis/pneumonia) was assessed overall and by year.
RESULTS: Of 104,291 respiratory hospitalizations in children aged <5 years, 2,373 (2.3%) were RSV-specific coded. RSV-specific coding increased from 1.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2024 among hospitalizations. Infants aged <6 months accounted for the largest share of RSV-coded hospitalizations (39.5%), followed by children aged 24-59 months (22.6%), 12-23 months (20.6%), and 6-11 months (17.2%). RSV-specific coded hospitalizations among children aged 24-59 months declined from 25.4% in 2023 to 19.9% in 2024 (p=0.003). Median LOS was highest among infants aged <6 months (6 days; IQR 4-10) while overall LOS remained stable at 5 days (IQR 3-8) across years. CFR was 0.2% in 2022 (1 death), 0.7% in 2023 (6 deaths), and 0.2% in 2024 (2 deaths). Most deaths occurred in infants aged < 6 months (55.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: RSV-specific coded hospitalizations increased in Mexico between 2022 and 2024, being concentrated in infants aged <6 months but were substantial across older age groups. The atypical age distribution may also reflect post-pandemic immunity debt. The low proportion of RSV-specific ICD-10 coding suggests under-ascertainment of RSV burden in administrative data. These findings support preventive strategies and ongoing surveillance.
METHODS: This retrospective study used the Mexican Sectorial Database (~70% population coverage). RSV-specific hospitalizations were identified through ICD-10 codes. Length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital case fatality rate (CFR) were stratified by age group and year; age distributions were compared using chi-square tests. The proportion of RSV-confirmed codes among potentially RSV-related respiratory hospitalizations (RSV-specific plus syndromic codes for bronchitis/bronchiolitis/pneumonia) was assessed overall and by year.
RESULTS: Of 104,291 respiratory hospitalizations in children aged <5 years, 2,373 (2.3%) were RSV-specific coded. RSV-specific coding increased from 1.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2024 among hospitalizations. Infants aged <6 months accounted for the largest share of RSV-coded hospitalizations (39.5%), followed by children aged 24-59 months (22.6%), 12-23 months (20.6%), and 6-11 months (17.2%). RSV-specific coded hospitalizations among children aged 24-59 months declined from 25.4% in 2023 to 19.9% in 2024 (p=0.003). Median LOS was highest among infants aged <6 months (6 days; IQR 4-10) while overall LOS remained stable at 5 days (IQR 3-8) across years. CFR was 0.2% in 2022 (1 death), 0.7% in 2023 (6 deaths), and 0.2% in 2024 (2 deaths). Most deaths occurred in infants aged < 6 months (55.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: RSV-specific coded hospitalizations increased in Mexico between 2022 and 2024, being concentrated in infants aged <6 months but were substantial across older age groups. The atypical age distribution may also reflect post-pandemic immunity debt. The low proportion of RSV-specific ICD-10 coding suggests under-ascertainment of RSV burden in administrative data. These findings support preventive strategies and ongoing surveillance.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EPH36
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Public Health
Disease
Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)