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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.

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