[Clinical aspects of viral respiratory infections]

The Authors deal with some clinical aspect of the commonest types of respiratory tract viral infections. After a description of the characteristics of the most important diseases (common cold, ARD, influenza, viral pneumonia) they deal with some particular problem difficult in resolution, both from a pathogenetic and clinical viewpoint and quite constant bacterial over infection, the cardiac complications, th possible evolution to fibrosis and the relationship between viral infections and asthma. The nowadays problem of immunological and chemotherapeutic prevention of viral infections, particularly of type A influenza, is also discussed.