Hospitalisation of late preterm infants due to lower respiratory tract infections in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia: incidence, disease severity, and risk factors.

Background: By two years of age, almost all children experience at least one episode of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, the most common viral cause of hospitalisation due to lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). We present data on LRTI hospitalisations (with a special focus on RSV), the course of illness, and LRTI hospitalisation risk factors in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Materials And Methods: The analysed data were part of a large multinational study conducted in 23 countries (PONI).