Infectious Asthma: An Easily Identified Clinical Presentation with Implications for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Asthma

Figures & data

Table 1 Infectious Asthma (IA), a Novel Asthma Trait

1) Epidemiological and clinical evidence, supported by in vitro and animal model data, points to preceding acute respiratory infections as potential contributors to asthmagenesis. Increasing evidence describes an easily recognizable and surprisingly common asthma clinical presentation: Infectious Asthma (IA).

2) IA is specifically defined here as prospective observation or retrospective history that de novo chronic asthma began during or after an acute respiratory illness, usually described as bronchitis, pneumonia, or an influenza-like illness.

3) Respiratory pathogens associated with IA include rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and Chlamydia trachomatis in children; and Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in children and adults.

4) Identification of IA has implications for asthma diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention.

5) More research is required and recommended to establish the ultimate clinical utility of IA as a novel trait in the management and prevention of asthma.