Proud David
Airway Inflammation Group and Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Pulm Pharmacol Ther. 2008;21(3):468-73. doi: 10.1016/j.pupt.2007.06.004. Epub 2007 Jul 5.
Upper airway viral infections (URI) are a major cause of absence from school and work. Although morbidity is low in most of the subjects, the complications of URI, including otitis media, sinusitis and exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an enormous health impact. Despite the major health care consequences associated with these complications, our understanding of how URI trigger upper airway symptoms and cause exacerbations of lower airway diseases remains limited. This article reviews our current understanding of the pathogenesis of URI, and of viral exacerbations of asthma and COPD, and considers host defense parameters that may regulate susceptibility to disease exacerbations. We will also consider current and potential therapeutic approaches for the treatment of URI and their lower airway complications.
上呼吸道病毒感染（URI）是导致缺课和旷工的主要原因。尽管大多数患者的发病率较低，但URI的并发症，包括中耳炎、鼻窦炎以及哮喘和慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）的加重，对健康有巨大影响。尽管这些并发症会带来重大的医疗后果，但我们对URI如何引发上呼吸道症状以及导致下呼吸道疾病加重的了解仍然有限。本文综述了我们目前对URI发病机制以及哮喘和COPD病毒加重的理解，并探讨了可能调节疾病加重易感性的宿主防御参数。我们还将考虑治疗URI及其下呼吸道并发症的现有和潜在治疗方法。
