Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract constituting a serious
public health problem all over the world. The most common trigger in childhood asthma is viral
URTIs. Studies have shown that viruses are associated with 80 to 85% of asthma exacerbations in
school-age children in the community including, rhinovirus, enterovirus, human metapneumovirus,
echovirus, RSV and others. (1,2)
OBJECTIVE:
To study the prevalence of RSV infection in the acute asthmatic flare-ups in children 2-15 years
of age.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A prospective, age and sex-matched case-control study, examined 90 children aged 2-15 years; 50 of
them were asthmatics and 40 were non-asthmatics visited the outpatient clinic in the period from
July to Dec. 2013. Children who had 3 or more attacks of wheezing LRTI diagnosed by
a pediatrician as cases of asthma and showed a definite response to bronchodilator therapy were
included in the asthmatic group. Parents and patients were interviewed and a well-structured
questionnaire that solicited to their demographical and clinical characteristics was used. Blood
samples were taken from all cases and controls and sent for ELISA test for anti-RSV IgM, IgG and
IgA antibodies.
RESULTS:
There was no significant association between each of the RSV immunoglobulins detected and
asthma flare-up between asthmatics and controls. There were no significant associations between
each of residence, maternal smoking and history of fever and RSV infection between asthmatics and
controls.
CONCLUSION:
There is a minor role in RSV infection as a triggering factor in asthma flare-ups in children aged
2-15 years.