The link between bronchiolitis and asthma

Abstract

Bronchiolitis and asthma are common wheezing illnesses of childhood. Respiratory syncytial virus is the main causative agent of Bronchiolitis. Rhinovirus is the most common trigger of exacerbations of asthma, but also has been detected increasingly in doing children with Bronchiolitis. Reportedly, childhood asthma develops in 40% of children with a history of Bronchiolitis. No convincing link has been reported between Bronchiolitis and development of atopy, although atopy generally is regarded as the main risk factor for chronic asthma. This article focuses on the association between bronchiolitis and the development of asthma. The authors address the question how respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus infections in young children, together with genetics and immunologic immaturity, may contribute to the development of asthma.

Fig. 1

Multifactorial influences on the development of asthma. BHR, bronchial hyperreactivity. (From Openshaw PJ, Yamaguchi Y, Tregoning JS. Childhood infections, the developing immune system, and the origins of asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;114:1276; with permission.)