Daijiworld Media Network - Singapore

Singapore, May 23: People hospitalised with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are more likely to suffer from in-hospital cardiac events than those battling influenza or Covid-19, reveals a large-scale study conducted by researchers at Singapore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study analysed data from 32,960 adult patients admitted to hospitals with RSV, flu, or Covid infections. Of these, 6.5 per cent had RSV, 43.7 per cent had flu, and 49.8 per cent were Covid-positive.

Alarmingly, 11 per cent of RSV patients experienced an acute cardiovascular event—significantly more than those hospitalised with flu or Covid. "One in ten RSV patients had a concurrent cardiac event," researchers noted, with the risk notably higher in both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups when compared to Covid-19 cases.

Among the 2,148 RSV patients, 94.1 per cent of the cardiovascular complications involved heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, or ischemic heart disease. A history of heart disease more than doubled the likelihood of such events during RSV-related hospitalisation.

The findings also revealed that RSV patients unboosted for Covid had a greater chance of cardiac complications than Covid-positive patients who were vaccinated. However, cerebrovascular events like stroke were less frequent in RSV patients than in those with vaccine-boosted Covid cases.

Researchers believe RSV may trigger cardiac issues either through direct myocardial injury or post-inflammatory strain linked to lung complications. They emphasised the importance of evaluating how vaccinations could reduce heart-related risks in respiratory infections that are otherwise preventable.

This study underlines the need for greater awareness and preventive strategies against RSV, especially among individuals with preexisting heart conditions.