Asthma May Result from Wheezing During a Cold

Young children who wheeze when they have rhinovirus infection - the most common cause of colds - are at much greater risk of developing asthma later during childhood, says a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Previous research had shown that infants who experience viral respiratory illnesses with wheezing are more likely to develop asthma.

But, until now, it has not been clear whether all types of respiratory viruses that produce wheezing are associated with this increased risk.

Problem Worsens as Baby becomes Older

The new study found that the rhinovirus-produced wheezing should concern parents the most.

"We have found that rhinovirus, the most common cause of colds, contributes a disproportionate amount toward future asthma development in comparison to other viruses that also cause childhood wheezing," says Dr. Robert F. Lemanske, Jr., at the University of Wisconsin, lead investigator of the study.

The researchers followed a group of nearly 300 newborns at increased risk for asthma from one or both parents having allergies or asthma.

The children were evaluated for the presence of respiratory viruses and for the development of asthma until they were six years old.

At age six, 28 percent of the children had asthma, with a disproportionate amount of them having wheezed from rhinovirus.

The children who wheezed from rhinovirus during the first year of life were nearly three times as likely to have asthma when they were six years old, compared with children who wheezed from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, another common respiratory ailment) and did not have increased asthma risk.

The older the children were when the rhinovirus-associated wheezing occurred, the greater the effect, the study found.

Children who wheezed with rhinovirus at age two were more than six times as likely to have asthma; at age three, the risk was more than 30-fold.

Additional Study Needed on Cold-Asthma Connection

The findings provide important information about the type of wheezing-inducing virus that is associated with an increased risk of asthma.

However, the researchers cannot say whether rhinovirus causes asthma to develop or simply reveals children who will develop the disease.

"In genetically susceptible children, [rhinovirus] wheezing illnesses could cause airway damage as well as subsequent asthma (virus-related factors)," says Dr. Daniel L. Jackson, of the University of Wisconsin.

But Dr. Jackson points out that additional research is needed to determine whether rhinovirus leads to asthma development.

Always consult your child's physician for more information.