Estimates for quality of life loss due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Abstract

BackgroundIn children aged <5 years in whom severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) episodes predominantly occur, there are currently no appropriate standardised instruments to estimate quality of life years (QALY) loss.ObjectivesWe estimated the age‐specific QALY loss due to RSV by developing a regression model which predicts the QALY loss without the use of standardised instruments.MethodsWe conducted a surveillance study which targeted confirmed RSV episodes in children aged <5 years (confirmed cases) and their household members who experienced symptoms of RSV during the same time (suspected cases). All participants were asked to complete questions regarding their health during the infection, with the suspected cases additionally providing health‐related quality of life (HR‐QoL) loss estimates by completing EQ‐5D‐3L‐Y or EQ‐5D‐3L instruments. We used the responses from the suspected cases to calibrate a regression model which estimates the HR‐QoL and QALY loss due to infection.FindingsFor confirmed RSV cases in children under 5 years of age who sought health care, our model predicted a QALY loss per RSV episode of 3.823 × 10−3 (95% CI 0.492‐12.766 × 10−3), compared with 3.024 × 10−3 (95% CI 0.329‐10.098 × 10−3) for under fives who did not seek health care. Quality of life years loss per episode was less for older children and adults, estimated as 1.950 × 10−3 (0.185‐9.578 × 10−3) and 1.543 × 10−3 (0.136‐6.406 × 10−3) for those who seek or do not seek health care, respectively.ConclusionEvaluations of potential RSV vaccination programmes should consider their impact across the whole population, not just young child children.

Antibiotic utilization in hospitalized children under 2 years of age with influenza or respiratory syncytial virus infection – a comparative, retrospective analysis

“…They substantially contribute to morbidity and mortality worldwide [2]. Furthermore, RTI are associated with large societal impacts [3], including a high healtheconomic burden [4], caused by a high hospitalization rate among the very young, causing frequent parental absence from work [5]. Moreover, antimicrobial consumption is heavily driven by RTI [6] due to the clinical challenge of distinguishing between viral and bacterial etiologies and the lack of a reliable diagnostic reference standard [7,8].…”

The impact of childhood RSV infection on children's and parents' quality of life: a prospective multicenter study in Spain

“…Comparing it to a baseline reported HRQoL at day 30 since onset of symptoms (Q30; baseline), we found that RSV was associated with a mean HRQoL loss in children and their parents of 38%, 32% and 9% during the first, second and third week after the diagnosis, respectively. These results are lower than the only published study estimating a model-estimated HRQoL loss of 0.54 (95% CI 0.14-0.95) in children under 5 years [24]. However, their estimates were not obtained directly, instead they used the responses from the older suspected cases.…”

“…The only publication identified determining QALY loss due to an RSV episode in individuals < 5 years old [ 24 ] is based on model predictions from older children (5–14 years old), instead of using an age-adapted questionnaire.…”

The burden of respiratory syncytial virus: Understanding impacts on the NHS, society and economy

“…Evidence from England suggests that children under five with RSV face quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) losses due to the infection, although few studies explore the scale of this impact [18]. The evidence suggests a modest average impact on QALYs at the individual level in most cases due to the illness's short duration [18]. QALY losses also vary depending on whether healthcare is sought or not [18].…”

“…The evidence suggests a modest average impact on QALYs at the individual level in most cases due to the illness's short duration [18]. QALY losses also vary depending on whether healthcare is sought or not [18].…”