While most adults only get mild symptoms when contracting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the same can’t be said of older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), adults over the age of 60 should be particularly concerned when they have RSV. In previous years, there have been hundreds of hospital admissions of persons over 75 per 100,000 and those who were in their 60s weren’t far behind. Black Americans, in particular, should be wary of contracting RSV as statistics show that they account for over 55 percent of all hospitalizations from the virus.
5 RSV Complications For Older Adults
1. Worse COVID Symptoms
If you already have COVID and then contract RSV or vice versa, the presence of the RSV usually makes the COVID symptoms worse.
Some studies also suggest that having COVID can make you more susceptible to certain viruses. Since both of these illnesses can significantly affect your breathing, it’s worth talking to your doctor about the steps to keep you safe.
2. Worsening Asthma Or COPD
People who have chronic respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD are likely to have their symptoms worsen when they contract RSV.
In these cases, your regular maintenance treatments or emergency inhalers may not work as well. You should talk to your doctor as soon as you start feeling ill in case you need a different treatment while you’re sick.
3. Pneumonia
Your illness can develop into pneumonia if your RSV symptoms get out of control.
Some signs that you have pneumonia are a high fever that leads to shaking or chills, a loss of appetite, shortness of breath, shallow breathing, sharp chest pain, and a cough that produces green, yellowish, or bloody mucus. Pneumonia must be treated by your doctor.
RELATED: RSV: What It Is, Diagnosis, Symptoms & Treatment
4. Bronchiolitis
Sometimes RSV can cause bronchiolitis, which is the inflammation of the bronchioles in your lungs. The initial signs of this illness are fever, congestion, runny nose, loss of appetite, and a cough.
As your condition worsens, you may experience wheezing, shortness of breath, and a worsening cough. You’ll need medical intervention to
