Recognizing the Importance of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Figures & data

Table 1 Incidence of virus detection using testing that included PCR in adult populations with acute symptomatic respiratory illness

	Patient Population
	Ambulatory			Hospitalized
Virus Detected	General Adult	General Elderly	High Risk (COPD)	Inpatient-COPD	ICU-COPD
RSV	4.5%(12)	8.9%(7)	4.3%(6)	2.6%(6)	6.5%(17)
	11.6%(8)		10.7%(7)	9.7%(7)
			12.0%(9)	15.3%(5)
Influenza A	18.4%(12)	4.6%(7)	3.4%(A&B)(6)	10.5%(7)	13.1%(17)
			3.8%(7)	15.6%(A&B)(6)
				17.6%(5)
Influenza B	1.9%(12)	1.3%(7)	2.3%(7)	1.1%(7)	5.6%(17)
				4.7%(5)
Rhinovirus	10.5%(12)	NR	25.6%(6)	11.7%(6)	6.5%(17)
				24.7%(5)
Coronavirus	0.8%(12)	NR	8.5%(6)	7.8%(6)	2.8%(17)
Parainfluenza	1.1%(12)	NR	5.1%(6)	3.9%(6)	10.3%(17)
Metapneumovirus	1.5%(12)	NR	0%(6)	0%(6)	2.8%(17)
	3.4%(8)
Adenovirus	0.8%(12)	NR	0%(6)	1.3%(6)	NR
Other or none identified	61.3%(12)	NR	56.4%(6)	43.5%(5)	NR
				61.0(6)

NR = Not reported.

*Groups included patients with COPD, heart, and/or other lung disease.

Figure 1 Potential differences in pulmonary defense against RSV in COPD patients. Factors that include age, environmental exposures, genetics, COPD itself (e.g., bacterial colonization, chronic inflammation), or a combination of these may alter the host response to RSV thereby increasing susceptibility to or severity of infection. Altered defense responses include antiviral innate and adaptive immunity, as well as inflammation that may lead to AECOPD.