Respiratory infections and wheezing in children

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L I Landau1

  • 1Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Perth, Australia.

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|February 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Wheezing in infants often resolves with growth, but one-third develop childhood asthma. Viral infections play a complex role in asthma development and exacerbation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric respiratory health
  • Asthma and allergy research

Background:

  • Infant wheezing affects 30% of early childhood cases.
  • Wheezing etiology is linked to structural factors or persistent asthma.
  • Late-onset asthma impacts an additional 10% of children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the natural history of infant wheezing.
  • To understand the progression to childhood asthma.
  • To explore the role of viral infections in asthma.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal observation of infant wheezing phenotypes.
  • Analysis of asthma development post-infancy.
  • Investigation of viral infection impact on asthma and atopy.

Main Results:

  • Two-thirds of infant wheezing cases resolve with growth due to structural factors.
  • One-third of infant wheezing progresses to childhood asthma.
  • Viral infections are associated with increased asthma/atopy risk in absence of early infections, and trigger exacerbations once asthma is established.

Conclusions:

  • Infant wheezing has distinct trajectories, with a significant portion leading to childhood asthma.
  • Viral infections exhibit a biphasic role in asthma pathogenesis and exacerbation.
  • Understanding these pathways is crucial for pediatric asthma management.

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