Duration of an RSV infection | The RS- Virus

Duration of an RSV infection

An uncomplicated infection with the RS virus heals completely after about 3-12 days. In the first days of the disease, the upper respiratory tract is initially infected. In the course of 1-3 days, there are inflammatory reactions in the lower respiratory tract and the symptoms described.

However, some of the symptoms, such as coughing, may persist for weeks, even when all other symptoms have already subsided. These statements refer especially to small children, since adults with a normal immune system usually do not experience any symptoms of an RSV infection and therefore it runs silent. The duration of the disease of course also depends on its severity and can be prolonged if complications develop. In this case, no generally valid statement can be made about the duration. Even in immunocompromised patients, it is difficult to make a statement on duration, since many factors have an influence on it.

Who is particularly ill with RSV?

Infants and toddlers in the 3rd and 4th month of life are particularly prone to contracting the RS virus. The RS virus is even the most common respiratory infection in infants and toddlers. During epidemics – i.e. during the periods in which RS virus infections occur more frequently – day-care centers and children’s hospitals are particularly affected.

Furthermore, premature babies and infants with congenital heart defects or respiratory diseases, such as asthma, are particularly affected. Premature babies have not received sufficient nest protection from their mother, so that they can fall ill with the RS virus in the first weeks of life. This is life-threatening for them.

Adults are less likely to fall ill with the RS virus, as the immune system fends off the virus before it can cause symptoms. However, adults with frequent contact with small children have an increased risk of contracting the disease. Adults whose immune system is weakened by various causes have a higher risk of contracting RS virus.

These include patients with immunosuppression, such as that which occurs after the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs, or people with chronic heart or lung diseases. Infection with the RS virus during pregnancy poses no risk to either the mother or the unborn child. The prerequisite for this is that there is no disturbance of the immune system in the mother, which is the case in the vast majority of pregnant women.

An RS virus infection that has been through can even have a positive effect on the unborn child. In a defensive reaction against the virus, the mother’s immune system forms certain defense proteins that mark the virus so that it can be fought accordingly. These proteins are specific to the RS virus and can be transmitted to the unborn child. This means that there is a natural protection against the RS virus even before the child is born, although this protection varies in strength and in some cases cannot provide sufficient protection against infection.