Document 0071
 DOCN  M9460071
 TI    Economic impact of viral respiratory disease in children.
 DT    9408
 AU    Meissner HC; Department of Pediatric Infectious Disease, New England
       Medical; Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111.
 SO    J Pediatr. 1994 May;124(5 Pt 2):S17-21. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94223455
 AB    The single most important respiratory pathogen in infancy and early
       childhood is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Approximately 40% of
       primary RSV infections in children result in lower respiratory tract
       disease. Approximately 1% of RSV-infected children require
       hospitalization. Especially in high-risk children, primary RSV infection
       results in significant morbidity and, sometimes, death. This high-risk
       group includes children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, children with
       congenital heart disease, premature infants less than 6 months of age,
       and children with immunodeficiency diseases. It has been estimated that,
       in the United States, 14,000 infants with chronic lung disease and
       16,400 infants with heart disease will be identified by 12 months of
       age. More than 91,000 children are hospitalized annually with lower
       respiratory tract disease caused by RSV, and 4500 deaths occur. In 1985
       a report from the Institute of Medicine calculated that the annual
       hospitalization costs attributable to RSV infection were $300 million.
       Data collected at the New England Medical Center in 1991 show that the
       average cost of hospitalization of a child with RSV was $808 each day.
       Because of difficulty in developing a safe and effective RSV vaccine,
       attention is now focused on passive immunization using an RSV immune
       globulin. On the basis of a recently completed multiinstitutional trial,
       RSV immune globulin appears to be a safe and cost-effective option for
       prevention of severe RSV disease in high-risk children.
 DE    Child, Preschool  Chronic Disease  Heart Defects,
       Congenital/COMPLICATIONS  Hospitalization/ECONOMICS  Human
       Immunocompromised Host  Immunoglobulins/THERAPEUTIC USE  Infant  Infant,
       Newborn  Infant, Premature  Lung Diseases/COMPLICATIONS  *Respiratory
       Syncytial Virus Infections/ECONOMICS/EPIDEMIOLOGY/  ETIOLOGY/PREVENTION
       & CONTROL  *Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human  *Respiratory Tract
       Infections/ECONOMICS/EPIDEMIOLOGY/ETIOLOGY/  PREVENTION & CONTROL  Risk
       Factors  JOURNAL ARTICLE  REVIEW  REVIEW, TUTORIAL

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).