Original article
Clinical relevance of rhinovirus infections among adult hospitalized patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjid.2014.10.003Get rights and content
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Abstract

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is an emerging viral pathogen.

Aim

To characterize a group of patients admitted due to infection by this agent in a general hospital in Chile.

Methods

Cases were identified by RT-PCR for 1 year through active surveillance of patients admitted with severe respiratory illness. Diagnosis was not available during hospitalization. Thirty-two cases were identified, 90% were ≥60 years old or had co-morbid conditions. Human rhinovirus-related admissions represented 23.7% of hospitalization due to severe acute respiratory infections among adults and ranked second to influenza (37.8%). Patients presented with pneumonia (68.8%), decompensated chronic lung conditions (21.9%), heart failure or influenza-like illness (6.3% each). Admission to intensive or intermediate care units was required by 31.2% and in-hospital mortality reached 12.5%. A CURB-65 score ≥3 was significantly associated to in-hospital mortality (p < 0.05). Most patients received antibiotics (90%).

Conclusions

Human rhinovirus infections in elderly patients with co-morbid conditions are associated with hospitalizations, requiring critical or semi-critical antibiotics use. A high CURB-65 score was associated to in-hospital mortality.

Keywords

Rhinovirus
Respiratory tract infections
Viral pneumonia
Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
Adult
Hospitalization

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