University of Edinburgh

HDR UK

DL_2024_004

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a common respiratory infection in young children – almost all children have been infected with RSV by their second birthday. For most children RSV infection is mild, causing temporary symptoms such as fever, cough, and runny nose. However, up to 5% of children require treatment at a hospital. Data from electronic health records in Scotland can be used to explore how many children develop the more serious forms of RSV infection and to help sooner identify and treat children who might be at a higher risk. Additionally, studies have shown that an RSV infection in early childhood might increase the risk of developing asthma in later life. Asthma is a common, long-term lung disease that causes wheezing, coughing, and breathing difficulties and affects almost 10% of the population in the UK. Studying this link is important in understanding how RSV treatment or vaccines in early life might help protect people from developing asthma and reduce costs to the NHS.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) constitutes a substantial disease burden in young children. In 2019, RSV was reported to cause 3.6 million hospital admissions and 26,300 acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in-hospital deaths in children under five years old, globally. It is estimated that almost all children have been infected with RSV by the age of two. Although for most children RSV infection is mild, up to 5% of infected children require hospitalisation. Characterising the severity of RSV and identifying the potential risk factors for more severe disease is useful for early identification of children who might benefit from preventive measures and early treatment, as well as to support policy decisions and resource allocation. Furthermore, severe RSV infection in early childhood has been associated with an increased risk of developing asthma or recurrent wheezing in later childhood. The prevalence of asthma in the United Kingdom is estimated to be 9.6% of the population, leading to substantial costs to the health care system. Recently, a population-based prospective study conducted in the USA estimated that 15% of asthma cases in children under 5 years old could be prevented by avoiding RSV infection in the first year of life. Investigating this association is of interest in relation to the use of preventive interventions (passive immunisation for infants and maternal vaccines), as these interventions may also help reduce asthma morbidity in children. As part of this PhD, we have discussed the study design and the expected benefits of this proposal with a group of asthma patients and parents of children with asthma to ensure that the study is relevant to the patients.

Public Health Research

13/01/2025

De-Personalised

TRE