Data showed the three months after recovery were particularly touch-and-go for some patients.
We hear so much about RSV—respiratory syncytial virus—as a virus that affects little ones. But actually, 2025 data suggested a trend that up to 180,000 Americans aged 50 and older were hospitalized for RSV infection annually, too.
Whereas the long-term effects of COVID-19 have been investigated, a new study sought to understand longitudinal effects from RSV on the heart and lungs in the weeks and months after serious infection.
The findings were published February 2026 in JAMA Network Open, which is a journal of the American Medical Association. One important note: this study was funded by Pfizer, which makes an RSV vaccine. That’s something to keep in mind when weighing the conclusions, even though the research methodology appears sound, and the team was composed of five doctoral-level researchers, both MD and PhD.
Who was studied
The team examined data on nearly 12,000 U.S. adults who were hospitalized with RSV between 2017 and 2024. Patients’ average age was 69, and most had pre-existing conditions such as heart or lung disease.
The findings
The team found that statistically, RSV was associated with a significantly greater risk of serious heart and lung events in the days, weeks, and months that followed hospitalization.
This included any of the following medical events: myocardial infarction (what many of us think of as a classic heart attack), stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, congestive heart failure exacerbation, and arrhythmia.
The first week after hospitalization was the most dangerous window. For example, the risk of a heart attack was nearly nine times higher in that first week than during a “normal” period for the same patient. The risk of a COPD flare-up was 23 times higher. These risks gradually decreased over time, but for heart attacks and strokes, the elevated risk lingered for up to 63 days, and for heart failure, up to 84 days.
Explaining the effect
The researchers posited a few theories for why such an association occurred. The stress of a respiratory infection can strain the heart directly, they said, leading to reduced oxygen levels, inflammation that damages blood vessels, and activation of the nervous system in ways that can trigger irregular heart rhythms or clots.
In rare cases, RSV has even been found in heart muscle tissue, suggesting the virus may occasionally invade the heart directly.
How does this compare to flu and COVID?
Very similarly, it turns out. The pattern of elevated heart and lung risk after RSV looks a lot like what researchers have found after influenza and COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The researchers report some evidence that suggests RSV may actually trigger more cardiovascular complications than either of those viruses.
Another worthwhile insight, as a side note: the researchers report that “females were more frequent in all groups” that experienced the greater degree of risk—and in fact, 61% of the patients hospitalized with RSV to begin with were, in fact, women.
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