Asthma and viral infections: an intricate relationship

Asthma is the most common chronic medical condition in the pediatric population, affecting 5-10% of children and adolescents 1 and is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways, excessive mucus production, and bronchial hyper-reactivity, and reversible airflow obstruction that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, dyspnea and cough. This review will discuss the strong link between asthma and viral infections. Viral infections trigger infant wheezing episodes, have been implicated in the inception of asthma, and are recognized as an important risk factors for asthma exacerbations (Figure 1).
Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research