Healthcare resource use and costs following RSV-related hospitalizations among US adults aged 50 years and older

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common virus causing acute respiratory illness (ARI), can lead to severe disease among adults aged ≥50 y. We assessed healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs among United States (US) adults aged ≥50 y after hospitalization with RSV-ARI. Using 2015-2023 US claims data from the Optum® Clinformatics® Data Mart, three cohorts of patients aged ≥50 y were identified: patients with ≥1 RSV-ARI episode involving hospitalization (RSV-ARI cohort), patients with ≥1 influenza-ARI episode involving hospitalization (influenza-ARI cohort), and patients without recent ARI (control cohort). HRU and costs per-patient-per-month (PPPM) were assessed at 30 d, 3 months, and 1 y post-index. Adjusted regression models compared outcomes across cohorts. Overall, 14,759 patients were included in the RSV-ARI cohort, 77,468 in the influenza-ARI cohort, and 73,795 in the control cohort. The RSV-ARI cohort had significantly higher HRU vs. controls within 1 y post-index; adjusted incidence rate ratios (95% confidence interval) 30 d through 1 y post-index ranged from 81.07 (75.85, 86.65) to 11.56 (11.20, 11.93) for inpatient stays, 5.93 (5.58, 6.30) to 2.19 (2.09, 2.29) for emergency department visits, and 1.99 (1.95, 2.04) to 1.78 (1.75, 1.81) for outpatient visits. Adjusted total costs PPPM were higher for the RSV-ARI cohort vs. controls post-index (difference at 30 d: $37,025 [$36,345, $37,704]; 1 y: $6,699 [$6,476, $6,922]). HRU and costs among patients aged ≥50 y with RSV-ARI were higher vs. controls and generally similar between the RSV-ARI and influenza-ARI cohorts, demonstrating economic burden of severe RSV disease and the importance of RSV prevention.