How rhinovirus infections cause exacerbations of asthma

Abstract

Rhinovirus (RV) infections are closely linked to exacerbations of asthma, and yet most RV infections of patients with asthma cause only upper respiratory symptoms. These findings suggest that RV and other viral infections contribute to the causation of acute exacerbations of asthma, but that additional cofactors are generally required. In fact, factors related to the host, virus, and environment have been identified that affect the severity of RV infections, and propensity to develop lower respiratory tract symptoms. This review will discuss these factors and how their effects may act alone or in combination to increase the probability of RV-induced exacerbations of asthma.