Respiratory Syncytial Viral Infections Among Hospitalized Youth With Sickle Cell Disease.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) imposes substantial risk to all infants, but its impact on youth with SCD (Y-SCD) is underexplored. With newer, highly effective RSV monoclonal antibodies (RSV-mAb), research is needed to inform their use in Y-SCD. This single-center study of Y-SCD aged 0-21 years identified 667 hospitalizations that included RSV testing. Of these, 5% were positive for RSV, and 68% occurred in Y-SCD beyond their first RSV season. Intensive care, positive pressure ventilation, and transfusion were required in 21%, 32%, and 21% of hospitalizations, respectively. Findings indicate that multicenter studies are warranted to determine if RSV-mAbs improve outcomes in Y-SCD.