Openshaw P J, Lemanske R F
Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, UK.
Eur Respir J Suppl. 1998 Jul;27:35s-39s.
Although viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) frequently cause exacerbations of asthma, the relationship between RTIs and the initiation and maintenance of asthma in childhood is unclear. This is in part because of the difficulty of defining asthma in young children. Current evidence supports two hypotheses: 1) that predisposed children are susceptible to both severe RTIs and asthma; and 2) that severe viral infections may have long-lasting influences on the subsequent development of asthma, and perhaps even atopy. These two proposals are not mutually exclusive. This review summarizes our current state of knowledge of the pathogenic interactions between viruses and asthma (in both human and animal models). Possible interventions that might modify the effects of viral disease in asthmatics are discussed.
尽管病毒性呼吸道感染（RTIs）经常引发哮喘加重，但RTIs与儿童哮喘的起始和维持之间的关系尚不清楚。部分原因在于难以对幼儿的哮喘进行定义。目前的证据支持两种假说：1）易患儿童易患严重的RTIs和哮喘；2）严重的病毒感染可能对哮喘的后续发展，甚至可能对特应性产生长期影响。这两种观点并非相互排斥。本综述总结了我们目前对病毒与哮喘之间致病相互作用（在人类和动物模型中）的认识状况。还讨论了可能改变病毒性疾病对哮喘患者影响的干预措施。
