Estimation of Symptomatic Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Incidence in Adults in Multiple Countries: A Time-Series Model-Based Analysis Protocol

AbstractIntroductionEstimating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) burden in adults is challenging because of non-specific symptoms, infrequent standard-of-care testing, resolution of viral shedding before seeking medical care, test positivity that varies by specimen site in the upper airway and lower diagnostic test sensitivity compared to children. Conducting prospective observational studies to assess RSV burden in adults is time- and resource-intensive. Thus, model-based approaches can be applied using existing data to obtain more accurate estimates of RSV burden. This protocol establishes essential elements for estimating RSV incidence rate in adults using a time series model-based approach. It can be tailored to specific databases and applied globally across countries, enabling estimation of local RSV disease burden to inform public health decision-making, including immunization policy.MethodsData are analysed using a quasi-Poisson regression model, considering the effect of baseline trends and pathogen co-circulation, stratified by age and risk status. Pathogen co-circulation is represented by viral proxies defined based on ICD code groupings indicating RSV and influenza-specific hospitalizations, lagged 0 up to 4  weeks based on the model selection. A final model is constructed in two steps: optimization of the time trend (usingp-values) and selection of the viral proxy lag time (using test statistics, to prioritize the most biologically plausible option). The yearly i...
Source: Infectious Diseases and Therapy - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research