Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41513868›Full record

ArticleJournal of epidemiology and global health2026

Estimated Incidence of All-Cause Respiratory Hospitalizations and Deaths Attributable to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Adults in Finland between 2011 and 2019: A Retrospective Database Study.

Robin Bruyndonckx, Aleksandra Polkowska-Kramek, Caihua Liang, Mikko Kosunen, Olli-Pekka Hätinen, Mikel Esnaola, Maribel Casas, Pimnara Peerawaranun, Worku Biyadgie Ewnetu, Bradford D Gessner and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of epidemiology and global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Robin BruyndonckxP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Aleksandra Polkowska-KramekP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Caihua LiangPfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Boulevard East, New York, NY, 10001-2192, USA. caihua.liang@pfizer.com.
Mikko KosunenPfizer Inc, Helsinki, Finland.
Olli-Pekka HätinenPfizer Inc, Helsinki, Finland.
Mikel EsnaolaP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Maribel CasasP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Pimnara PeerawaranunP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Worku Biyadgie EwnetuP95 Clinical and Epidemiology Services, Leuven, Belgium.
Bradford D GessnerPfizer Inc, 66 Hudson Boulevard East, New York, NY, 10001-2192, USA.
Elizabeth BegierPfizer Inc, Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) incidence among adults in Finland remains underreported, mostly due to non-specific RSV symptoms, infrequent standard-of-care testing, and reduced sensitivity of single-specimen nasal/nasopharyngeal RT-PCR testing among adults. We retrospectively estimated RSV-attributable incidence of all-cause respiratory hospitalizations and mortality in adults in Finland between 2011 and 2019.

methodsWe estimated incidence using time-series modeling by comparing the week-to-week variability in RSV diagnosis trends with the week-to-week variability in the events with any respiratory diagnosis. Weekly aggregated data on all-cause respiratory hospitalizations and deaths (J00-J99) were obtained from the Care Register for Health Care (HILMO) and Statistics Finland, respectively. Hospitalization data on RSV and influenza were obtained from HILMO. Data on all-cause respiratory diseases for age groups that showed a seasonal pattern were included in a hierarchical Bayesian model, sharing information across the age groups while accounting for seasonal fluctuations, and RSV and influenza circulation.

resultsThe highest annual incidence rates of RSV-attributable respiratory hospitalizations were observed in adults aged ≥ 75 years (range 145-240 hospitalizations per 100,000 person-years), on average 7-fold higher than in adults aged 45-64 years (range 19-37 hospitalizations per 100,000 person-years). A biennial (low-high incidence) fluctuation of all-cause respiratory hospitalization incidence and mortality rate was observed in all age groups. A seasonal pattern for all-cause respiratory deaths was observed only for adults aged ≥ 75 years, who had an estimated RSV-attributable mortality rate of 8-14 deaths per 100,000 person-years. RSV-attributable deaths accounted for 3-5% of all all-cause respiratory deaths in this age group.

conclusionsRespiratory morbidity and mortality associated with RSV infection among adults in Finland are substantial, particularly for those aged ≥ 75 years. Newly introduced RSV vaccines, which appear effective for the oldest adults, could have a substantial impact on this respiratory disease burden.

Indexed as

HospitalizationRespiratory Syncytial Virus InfectionsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDatabases, FactualFemaleFinlandHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultAdultBayesian modelingDisease burdenEpidemiologyFinlandHospitalizationMortalityRespiratory syncytial virus

Identifiers

PMID41513868
PMCPMC12827847

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.