title: Relationship of viral infections to wheezing illnesses and asthma.
abstract: Viral infections can influence both the development and the severity of asthma. In early life, viral infections can either increase or, remarkably, decrease the risk of subsequent asthma. In children and adults with existing asthma, viral respiratory infections frequently cause acute airway obstruction and wheezing. This article discusses the influence of viral infections on mechanisms of virus-induced airway inflammation in relationship to the development, persistence and severity of asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin Hospital, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53792, USA. gern@medicine.wisc.edu
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gern
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Busse
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014779:Virus Replication