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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Published on: December 10, 2013
Respiratory syncytial virus-induced uvulitis
Heather Forbes1, Anthony Acosta, Zane Elfessi
1At Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago, IL, Heather Forbes works in the ED, Anthony Acosta is an emergency medicine physician, and Zane Elfessi is an emergency medicine pharmacy specialist. Z. Elfessi is also a clinical professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a respiratory virus that accounts for more than 100,000 ED visits per year. RSV causes the greatest morbidity in infants and children; however, older adults with chronic comorbidities have increased risk of hospitalization due to complications of RSV compared with those who do not have chronic conditions. Typical symptoms of RSV in older adults include cough, rhinorrhea, and sore throat; however, in more serious cases, wheezing, difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath may be present, potentially prompting ED visits. Infections due to other viruses, such as cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis B and C, are known to cause angioedema, but no case studies to date have reported RSV-induced uvulitis or angioedema. This article describes a novel case of an adult patient with RSV-induced uvulitis.
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