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Published on: August 7, 2017
Rhinovirus-induced wheeze was associated with asthma development in predisposed children
Idun Holmdahl1,2, Sofia Lüning1,2, Sabina Wärnberg Gerdin1,2
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Insights
Early rhinovirus-induced wheeze and allergic sensitization are key risk factors for childhood asthma. These factors, combined with hereditary predisposition, significantly increase the likelihood of developing asthma by age 11.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern with complex etiological factors.
- Early-life respiratory infections and allergic sensitization are implicated in asthma development.
- Understanding the interplay of these factors is crucial for effective prevention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between early-life rhinovirus-induced wheeze and allergic sensitization with asthma development at 11 years of age.
- To identify key risk factors contributing to the onset of asthma in children.
- To explore the role of genetic predisposition and environmental factors in asthma etiology.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 107 children experiencing acute wheeze (aged 6-48 months) were followed up to 11 years.
- 46 age-matched healthy controls were included for comparison.
- Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for identified risk factors.
Main Results:
- 62.6% of children with early wheeze developed asthma by age 11.
- Rhinovirus infection was the only common virus associated with increased asthma risk (OR 2.4).
- Parental asthma/allergy heredity (aOR 3.4) and allergic sensitization at age 2 (aOR 3.0) were significant risk factors.
- The highest asthma prevalence occurred in children with both rhinovirus-induced wheeze and allergic sensitization.
Conclusions:
- Hereditary factors and allergic sensitization play a critical role in childhood asthma development.
- Rhinoviruses appear to be associated with asthma development in genetically predisposed children.
- Early identification of these risk factors can inform targeted interventions for asthma prevention.
Aim:
This study explored whether early-life factors, such as rhinovirus-induced wheeze and allergic sensitisation, were related to asthma at 11 years of age.
Methods:
We focused on 107 children aged 6-48 months, who attended the paediatric emergency department at Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, with acute wheeze in 2008-2012. They also attended follow-up visits at 11 years of age and were compared with 46 age-matched healthy controls. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with logistic regression.
Results:
We found that 62.6% of the acute wheeze cases had asthma at 11 years of age. Rhinoviruses at inclusion were the only common airway viruses associated with an increased asthma risk (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.02-5.6). Other increased risks were parental heredity for asthma and/or allergies (adjusted OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.1-9.9) and allergic sensitisation at 2 years of age (adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.02-8.7). The highest prevalence of asthma was when children had both rhinovirus-induced wheeze at inclusion and allergic sensitisation at 7 years of age.
Conclusion:
Our findings highlight the importance of hereditary factors and allergic sensitisation on the development of asthma and suggest that rhinoviruses are associated with asthma development in predisposed children.
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