People with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection are more likely to suffer from in-hospital cardiac events than those with flu or Covid-19, according to a study. Researchers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore conducted a nationwide study among 32,960 adults hospitalised for an RSV, flu, or Covid infection.
They compared the risk of cardiovascular events (any cardiac, cerebrovascular, or thrombotic event) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission with or without a cardiovascular event among the patients.
Of the 32,960 adult patients, 6.5 per cent had RSV, 43.7 per cent had flu, and 49.8 per cent had Covid. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that about 11 per cent of RSV patients had a cardiovascular event.
“One in 10 patients hospitalised for RSV had a concurrent acute cardiovascular event. Odds of cardiac events were significantly higher in RSV vs Covid-19 hospitalisations in both vaccine-boosted and unboosted individuals,” the team wrote in the paper.
The study showed that a total of 1,037 patients (3.2 per cent) required ICU admission. Of the 2,148 RSV patients, 10.9 per cent experienced an acute cardiovascular event, 94.1 per cent of which involved cardiac events (99 abnormal heart rhythm, 66 heart failure, and 61 ischemic heart disease episodes).
The most common type of abnormal heart rhythm was atrial fibrillation or flutter (60.6 per cent). A history of cardiac disease was linked to a more than double likelihood of an acute cardiovascular event among RSV patients compared with those with flu or Covid-19.
A higher probability of an abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, and other cardiac events was also seen in RSV patients than in Covid patients who did not take booster doses. Lower odds of cerebrovascular events, however, were noted in RSV patients than in vaccine-boosted Covid patients.
Individuals with a preexisting cardiac history were found to be at higher risk of acute cardiac events during RSV hospitalisation. "Cardiac manifestations of RSV are hypothesised to arise directly from myocardial injury or indirectly via a post-inflammatory response and increased cardiovascular strain attributed to pulmonary disease," the researchers said.
They stressed the importance of evaluating the role of vaccination in attenuating the risk of cardiovascular events associated with vaccine-preventable respiratory viral infections.