Allergies, upper respiratory tract infections, and asthma

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Asthma exacerbations frequently lead to emergency department visits and hospital admissions.
• Identifying triggers like aeroallergens and viral infections is crucial for asthma management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of aeroallergen hypersensitivity in asthma patients presenting to the emergency department.
• To assess the association between viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and asthma hospital admissions.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 209 emergency department asthma patients undergoing skin prick tests and serum IgE/RAST testing.
• Case-control study of 38 asthmatic inpatients and 90 controls using nasopharyngeal viral cultures and immunofluorescence.

Main Results:

• 84% of emergency asthma patients had positive skin tests to aeroallergens; 45% tested positive for rye grass pollen (RGP) specific IgE.
• Viral URTIs were detected in 8 asthma patients and 2 controls.
• Asthmatic inpatients were 6 times more likely to have a viral URTI compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Aeroallergen hypersensitivity is highly prevalent in asthma patients seeking emergency care.
• Viral URTIs show a strong association with asthma hospital admissions, suggesting a significant role in exacerbations.