Asthmatics have more severe cold symptoms

March 8, 2002

NEW YORK, Mar 08 (Reuters Health) - Asthmatics are not more likely than

other people to get colds, but when they do, they are more likely to suffer

from more severe respiratory symptoms, new study findings suggest.

Colds are commonly caused by a family of viruses called rhinoviruses, and

such upper-respiratory infections are frequently behind asthma exacerbation,

according to Dr. M. Corne of Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham,

UK, and colleagues.

However, few studies have looked at whether asthmatics have higher rates of

rhinovirus infection, the researchers note.

To investigate, Corne's team evaluated 76 couples living together, in which

one partner had asthma and the other was healthy. The researchers report

their findings in the March 9th issue of The Lancet.

After analyzing 753 nasal samples, rhinovirus was detected in 10% of samples

from people with asthma and 8.5% of samples from people without asthma. A

mathematical analysis found that asthma did not significantly increase the

risk of infection, the authors report.

The asthma patients and their partners did not differ in severity, duration

or frequency of upper-respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing and

sore throat. However, lower-respiratory tract symptoms, which included

wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, were significantly more severe

and longer-lasting in participants with asthma, according to the report.

" Rhinovirus infection is one of the commonest causes of asthma attacks, and

there must be a reason why the infection has such severe effects in people

with asthma, " Corne said in a statement.

" Understanding the different effects of rhinovirus infection in people with

and without asthma will help us understand the mechanisms of an asthma

attack, and should result in the development of more targeted treatment, " he

added.

Asthma is a chronic condition that occurs when the main air passages of the

lungs, called the bronchial tubes, become inflamed. This can causes the

muscles of the bronchial walls to tighten and produce extra mucus. As the

airways narrow, minor wheezing to severe difficulty in breathing can occur.

SOURCE: The Lancet 2002;359:831-834.

Recommended Posts