Actual data regarding the impact of viral respiratory co-infection (Covid-19 and flu/Respiratory Syncytial Virus-RSV)- A systematic review

Abstract

Background. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection alongside with influenza and RSV, the major viral agents in pediatric disordes, may be an important concern to the healthcare system. Clini-cal outcomes of the interaction are unknown. The aim of this systematic review is to contribute at establishing the prevalence of the co-infection, its clinical outcomes and potential risk factors. Methods. A systematical literature search was performed for papers published in PubMed, Sco-pus, Web of Science, Pedro and Cochrane Library, from January 2020 - the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic - to June 2023. Our review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methods. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they approached the co-infection COVID 19 and influenza or RSV, and were available in English. Due to the fact that studies conducted on pediatric population are scarce, we included patients of all ages. Results. Out of 159 articles found, 12 were eligible for inclusion. The prevalence of co-infection was between 5% and 12 % for influenza viruses and 10% for RSV. The most common symptoms were high-grade fever, cough, headache, and shortness of breath and the most frequent complications were pneumonia and respir-atory distress. In terms of laboratory findings, co-infected patients presented with signifi-cant lymphopenia and pro-nounced inflammatory response, as well as a progressive ten-dency towards pneumonia and respiratory distress. Regarding the clinical outcomes of co-infection, the majority of articles in-dicated that simultaneous infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza predisposes to a more se-vere course of the disease(s), with a longer length of hospital stay and an increased risk of death.Conclusion. Our study underlines that the frequency of such co-infections, although not very high, predisposes to more frequent hos-pitalisations and a longer length of stay, complica-tions including admission to intensive care and more severe outcomes, including life-threatening events. It is therefore essential to determine the epidemiological impact of such an interaction nowadays, in order to in-form and adjust treatment and control and prevention strategies, for limiting co-infection between major respiratory viruses. Due to the lack of studies on children, we were unable to identify specific features of co-infections in this population. Therefore, more studies are needed to evaluate the paediatric population and consequently, our doctoral research en-deavour is warranted.

Keywords

• covid-19
• sars-cov-2
• influenza
• co-infection
• rsv