Published online February 29, 2008
PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 3 March 2008, pp. 493-496 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1889)
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ARTICLE

Increased Concordance of Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Identical Twins

Simon Francis Thomsen, MD, PhDa, Lone Graff Stensballe, MD, PhDb,c, Axel Skytthe, MD, PhDd, Kirsten Ohm Kyvik, MD, PhDd, Vibeke Backer, MD, DMSca and Hans Bisgaard, MD, DMScc

a Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
b Bandim Health Project, State Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
c Danish Pediatric Asthma Center, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark
d Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

OBJECTIVE. We estimated differences in the severity of respiratory syncytial virus infection attributable to genetic and environmental factors.

METHODS. Record linkage data on hospitalizations attributable to respiratory syncytial virus infection were gathered on all twins (12346 pairs) born in Denmark between 1994 and 2003. Latent-factor models of genetic and environmental effects were fitted to the observed data by using maximal likelihood methods.

RESULTS. Identical twins resembled each other significantly more than did fraternal twins for respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization (concordance rate: 0.66 vs 0.53), which suggests genetic influences on disease severity. Genetic factors accounted for 16%, family environment for 73%, and nonshared environment for 11% of the individual susceptibility to develop severe respiratory syncytial virus infection.

CONCLUSIONS. The severity of respiratory syncytial virus infection is determined partly by genetic factors. This result should stimulate the search for genetic markers of disease severity.

Key Words: respiratory syncytial virus • twin study • genetic

Abbreviations: DNPR—Danish National Patient Registry • RSV—respiratory syncytial virus • CI—confidence interval

Accepted Aug 21, 2007.