Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that is prevalent today. While it is often associated with being harmful to babies and toddlers due to frequent reports of RSV outbreaks in the news, the virus poses a significant risk to older adults as well. Surveillance data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that a greater number of older adults are hospitalized due to RSV compared to children under the age of 5. Each year, between 100,000 and 150,000 adults aged 60 and above require hospitalization because of RSV.
What is RSV?
RSV is a respiratory virus that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. While individuals with larger airways and robust immune systems may not be as severely impacted by the virus, young children and older adults are particularly vulnerable. Infants and toddlers are at a higher risk due to the small size of their airways, which can become clogged by RSV, leading to more severe effects. Similarly, older adults are affected by age-related factors such as reduced lung tissue, weakened immune function, and chest muscle strength. Individuals with lung conditions like asthma or COPD are also at risk.
RSV is transmitted through person-to-person contact, often through respiratory droplets expelled during coughing or sneezing, close personal contact, or touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the face. Symptoms typically appear within four to six days after exposure.
What are the symptoms of RSV?
Common symptoms of RSV include a runny nose, cough, sneezing, and fever, similar to a mild cold. However, when the virus progresses to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause more severe symptoms such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, and respiratory infections like bronchiolitis or pneumonia. In toddlers, signs of lower respiratory involvement may include decreased appetite, reduced vocalizations, and visible signs of respiratory distress like skin pulling between the ribs or flaring nostrils during breathing.
It is essential to monitor for these symptoms and seek medical attention if necessary, especially for young children, older adults, and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions.
When children are infected with RSV, they may show signs such as head bobbing with breathing or decreased energy levels leading to sleepiness or unresponsiveness. It is important for children exhibiting these symptoms to seek immediate medical attention, according to Hill. The same urgency applies to older adults or immunocompromised individuals displaying breathing difficulties, confusion, decreased appetite, or dizziness after experiencing cold-like symptoms.
Feeling dizzy could indicate dehydration. To treat RSV that has progressed from the upper to lower respiratory tract in vulnerable individuals, hospitalization is often necessary to provide oxygen support and proper nutrition until the body can fight off the virus. Treatment may include airway clearance by respiratory therapists and possibly Albuterol or saline nebulizer treatments, although not all patients respond well to these.
Mild RSV symptoms can be managed at home with remedies such as nasal saline, use of a cool-mist humidifier, regular fluid intake for hydration, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen (for those older than 6 months) to reduce fever. Symptoms of RSV typically peak between days three to five of the illness but can persist for up to two weeks.
