Abstract

PAPADOPOULOS, Nikolaos G.  and  XEPAPADAKI, Paraskevi. The role of viral infections in asthma. Salud(i)ciencia [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.6, pp.545-551. ISSN 1667-8682.

Abstract Respiratory viral infections have been implicated in the origin and exacerbation of asthma symptoms in a variety of ways. A growing body of evidence indicates that viral infections are closely linked to infantile wheezing and suggest that severe bronchiolitis in early infancy may predispose to chronic childhood asthma. Alternatively, it could represent a marker of susceptible individuals. In contrast, mild repetitive infections in early years may provide a protective role against the development of asthma or atopy by switching the immune system towards Th1 responses. However, evidence on this hypothesis is not consistent as far as viruses are concerned. On the other hand, in the presence of asthma, the role of viral infections on exacerbations is well established. Several factors, such as the presence of atopy, timing of the exposure and severity of the infections, interactively contribute to the asthma-infection relationship. In the present report, recent data on the involvement of viral infections in the development and progression of asthma are reviewed.

Keywords : Respiratory viruses; rhinovirus; RSV; bronchiolitis; asthma; atopy; Th1-Th2.

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