ArticlePaediatric and perinatal epidemiology2026
Exploring the Relationship Between Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Asthma Using Calendar Time at Birth as a Source of Quasi-Random Variation.
Article in Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundObservational studies suggest an association between severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and asthma, but it is unclear if this relationship is causal or confounded.
objectivesWe investigated this relationship using calendar time at birth as a source of quasi-random variation with respect to individual-level risk factors for severe RSV infection. We similarly examined influenza (another respiratory virus) and rotavirus (a negative control exposure).
methodsWe analysed province-wide linked administrative data for 1,437,731 infants born in Ontario, Canada, from 2002-2013 (which facilitated 5 years of follow-up for asthma). We ascertained whether each infant experienced an RSV, influenza, and/or rotavirus hospitalisation (and the weekly incidences of RSV, influenza, and rotavirus hospitalisation among infants), and whether each child had asthma at 5 years of age. We used regression models to investigate the relationships between: (i) infant ages during the weeks with the highest incidences of RSV, influenza, and rotavirus hospitalisation and paediatric asthma; (ii) weekly incidences of RSV, influenza, and rotavirus hospitalisation and probability of paediatric asthma.
resultsWe observed the highest odds of asthma among infants aged 13-16 weeks during the RSV peak, 11-13 weeks during the influenza peak, and 16-19 weeks during the rotavirus peak. The relationship between weekly incidence of RSV hospitalisation and probability of paediatric asthma was small in magnitude; we estimated a 3.15 (95% confidence interval -0.07, 6.36) percentage-point change in probability of paediatric asthma per 1 percentage-point change in weekly incidence of RSV hospitalisation among infants (offset by 13 weeks, which was the infant age at RSV peak that conferred maximum crude odds of paediatric asthma). Additionally, an unexpected relationship between rotavirus seasonal variation and asthma emerged.
conclusionsWe found evidence supporting a limited causal role that did not fully explain the relationship between RSV and asthma. Other mechanisms, including seasonal factors, may contribute to previously reported associations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.