Hospitalisations for lower respiratory tract infections in adults with and without chronic respiratory disease during and after COVID-19 pandemic

Studies focusing on the incidence of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) after COVID-19 pandemic are scarce in chronic respiratory disease (CRD) patients. We assess and quantify the longer-term impact of the pandemic on LRTI hospitalisations, with a focus on CRD. In France, from July 2013 to June 2023 monthly numbers of hospitalisations for LRTI in adults (excluding SARS-CoV-2) were extracted from the National Hospital Discharge Database. Three periods were defined relating to restrictions measures (1: successive lockdowns, 2: gradual lifting of restrictions, and 3: absence of restrictions). The effect of each period was estimated using time series analyses. Before the pandemic, LRTI hospitalisations showed a winter seasonal pattern with an increasing trend. If in the first two periods, a significant decrease in hospitalisations with a loss of seasonality was observed, period 3, exhibited a rising trend with the return of seasonality. Overall, for patients with a CRD, hospitalisations level was similar to the pre-pandemic period, but varied with the type of CRD (Figure). Using nationwide database allowed to demonstrate that COVID-19 pandemic containment measures contributed significantly to the variation in the incidence of other LRTI with a rapid increase and a return to a seasonal pattern after their gradual lifting, particularly relevant for patients with CRD. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA2198/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>