Respiratory Syncytial Virus-associated hospitalization in premature infants who did not receive palivizumab prophylaxis in Italy: a retrospective analysis from the Osservatorio Study

• Published in: Italian journal of pediatrics 2016-04, Vol.42 (1), p.40-40, Article 40
• Main Authors: Silvestri, Michela, Marando, Francesca, Costanzo, Anna Maria, di Luzio Paparatti, Umberto, Rossi, Giovanni A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Italy - epidemiology; Male; Palivizumab - administration & dosage; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - epidemiology; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - prevention & control
• ISSN: 1824-7288; 1720-8424; 1824-7288
• DOI: 10.1186/s13052-016-0252-9

Due to different social and epidemiological factors, the eligibility criteria to receive palivizumab prophylaxis may be different between countries, especially in "otherwise healthy" late preterm infants. We analyzed an Italian database of young children referred to emergency departments for acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) during the RSV season over a four year period, when the use of palivizumab as prophylaxis for RSV disease was not widespread in premature infants. The demographic and environmental characteristics and the RSV positivity (RSV(+)) in hospitalized and not-hospitalized patients were compared. In the data analysis we divided children according to their chronologic age (age) and their week gestational age (wGA). Out of the 100 children evaluated, 68 were infants (≤12 month-age): 7.5 and 20.6 % were in the