Increased frequency and severity of viral infections during infancy is associated with recurrent wheezing in the first three years of life

The frequency and nature of viral infections during infancy may contribute to the subsequent development of various wheezing phenotypes and/or asthma. The relationship of viral infections in the first year of life to the pattern of wheezing from birth to age 3 years was evaluated in 269 children enr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 113; no. 2; p. S331
Main Authors:	Da Silva, D.F.G., Roberg, K.A., Tisler, C.J., Anderson, E.L., Hiemke, H.J., Pappas, T.E., Shult, P.A., Kirk, C.J., Gangnon, R.E., Li, Z., Evans, M.D., Gern, J.E., Lemanske, R.F.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	St. Louis Mosby, Inc 01-02-2004 Elsevier Limited
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Summary:	The frequency and nature of viral infections during infancy may contribute to the subsequent development of various wheezing phenotypes and/or asthma. The relationship of viral infections in the first year of life to the pattern of wheezing from birth to age 3 years was evaluated in 269 children enrolled in the COAST project. Viral cultures and RT-PCR (rhinovirus) were performed on nasal lavage samples obtained during 5 protocol-scheduled well visits and during respiratory illnesses in year one. Wheezing phenotypes were categorized into three groups: recurrent (RW, persistent between 0-3 years of age, n=45), infantile (IW, present between 0-2 years of age, n=49) and never wheezed (NW, n=129). An additional 46 children had wheezing which began after the first year of life and were not included in this analysis. There was a significant difference between the number of culture-proven viral infections (regardless of severity) in the first year of life: RW had the most infections (3.49 ± 0.27), followed by IW (2.65 ± 0.21) and then NW (1.45 ± 0.11, overall p<0.001). For moderate to severe respiratory tract illnesses, the differences followed similar patterns (RW 2.80 ± 0.23, IW 1.82 ± 0.20, and NW 0.94 ± 0.09, overall p<0.001). Neither the incidence of RSV documented illnesses, nor wheezing associated with them, differed between the RW and IW groups. Children who develop a pattern of recurrent wheezing by age 3 years have a greater number of symptomatic viral infections during the first year of life.
ISSN:	0091-6749 1097-6825
DOI:	10.1016/j.jaci.2004.01.698