Epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infection in elderly patients and its correlation with climatic and environmental factors
10.3969/j.issn.1006-2483.2026.05.021
- VernacularTitle:老年呼吸道合胞病毒感染流行病学特征与气候环境因素的相关性
- Author:
Jiajia ZANG
1
;
Tianyao LIU
1
;
Kun ZHANG
1
;
Jing WANG
1
Author Information
1. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hengshui People's Hospital, Hengshui, Hebei 053000, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
The elderly;
RSV;
Epidemiological characteristics;
Climate
- From:
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
2026;37(5):97-100
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in elderly patients at a hospital in Hengshui and its correlation with climatic and environmental factors. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 826 elderly patients with RSV infection who were hospitalized in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Department of Hengshui People's Hospital from June 2022 to May 2024. Clinical data of the patients were collected. Based on the climatic and environmental data of the Hengshui region during the same period, the epidemiological characteristics of RSV in the elderly population were analyzed. Pearson analysis was used to examine the correlation between RSV incidence and climatic and environmental factors. Results Among the 826 elderly RSV infected patients, males (54.24%) had a higher incidence than females (45.76%). The age of onset was highest in elderly people aged ≥ 80 (39.47%), followed by the age group of 70-79 (32.08%). Cough (89.95%) and sputum (71.19%) were the main clinical symptoms of elderly RSV infected patients. 28.57% of the elderly patients with RSV infection had basic diseases, of which the patients with diabetes accounted for the highest proportion (12.35%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (10.41%). The proportion of patients with mixed infections reached 4.60%, and the proportion of patients with other systemic complications reached 1.69%. From the perspective of the season of onset, the number of elderly RSV cases was highest in spring and winter, accounting for 39.47% and 47.09%, respectively. The correlation analysis results showed that the number of elderly RSV cases was negatively correlated with average wind speed (r=-0.196), average temperature (r=-0.731), and average humidity (r=-0.729), and weakly positively correlated with average atmospheric pressure (r=0.085) (all P<0.05). Conclusion In the elderly population, RSV infection is more prevalent among males and the very old, with a higher incidence during the winter and spring seasons, and is closely related to climate changes in the Hengshui region.
