HIV and asthma, is there an association?
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Updated: May 25, 2026

Processing of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Matched Blood for Alveolar Macrophage and CD4+ T-cell Immunophenotyping and HIV Reservoir Assessment
Published on: June 23, 2019
Jessica A Kynyk1, Jonathan P Parsons, Michael F Para
1The Ohio State University, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, 201 Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute, 473 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Jessica.Kynyk@osumc.edu
Objective:
To evaluate whether asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness are associated with HIV infection.
Methods:
We reviewed the literature on HIV-associated pulmonary diseases, pulmonary symptoms, and immune changes which may play a role in asthma. The information was analyzed comparing the pre-HAART era to the post-HAART era data.
Results:
HIV-seropositive individuals commonly experience respiratory complaints yet it is unclear if the frequency of these complaints have changed with the initiation of HAART. Changes in pulmonary function testing and serum IgE are seen with HIV infection even in the post-HAART era. An increased prevalence of asthma among HIV-seropositive children treated with HAART has been reported.
Conclusion:
The spectrum of HIV-associated pulmonary disease has changed with the introduction of HAART. Current data is limited to determine if asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness are more common among HIV-seropositive individuals treated with HAART.
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