Evidence for a causal relationship between respiratory syncytial virus infection and asthma

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects all children early in life, is the most common cause of infant lower respiratory tract infections, and causes disease exacerbations in children with asthma. Episodes of lower respiratory tract infection in early life are associated with asthma development. Whether RSV infection early in life directly causes asthma or simply identifies infants who are genetically predisposed to develop subsequent wheezing is debatable. Recent studies suggest that these two explanations are not mutually exclusive, and are likely both important in asthma development. An open-label study of RSV immunoprophylaxis administered to preterm infants reduced recurrent wheezing by 50%. Clinical trials of infant RSV prevention, delay or severity reduction on the outcome of childhood asthma would confirm the causal relationship between RSV infection and asthma, and offer a primary prevention strategy.

Keywords::

• asthma
• bronchiolitis
• lower respiratory tract infection
• recurrent wheezing
• respiratory
• syncytial virus

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Pingsheng Wu has received funding from the NIH (grant no. K12 HD 043483). Tina V Hartert has received funding from the NIH (grant no. AI77930). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.