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Abstract
Allergic asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease driven by allergen sensitization and atopic predisposition. Respiratory allergens may interact with viruses that infect epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, thereby aggravating allergic asthma. Rhinovirus (RV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and influenza are among the predominant respiratory viruses affecting both children and adults. The immunological pathways of allergic asthma and viral respiratory infections intersect through the innate immune system, which subsequently activates the adaptive T helper-2 (Th2) and T helper-1 (Th1) responses, respectively. In individuals with asthma, interferon (IFN) production is reduced, resulting in insufficient antiviral defensive. Similar to allergen exposure, viral infection triggers the release of alarmin cytokines by airway epithelial cells, the recruitment of neutrophils and eosinophils, and the induction of a Th2 immune response, leading to eosinophilia, excessive mucus secretion, airway hyperresponsiveness, and structural remodelling. The combined of allergic inflammation and viral infection underlies the occurrence of asthma exacerbations.
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References
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- Papadopoulos, N. G., Christodoulou, I., Rohde, G., Agache, I., Almqvist, C., Bruno, A., Bonini, S., Bont, L., Bossios, A., Bousquet, J., Braido, F., Brusselle, G., Canonica, G. W., Carlsen, K. H., Chanez, P., Fokkens, W. J., Garcia-Garcia, M., Gjomarkaj, M., Haahtela, T., … Zuberbier, T. (2011). Viruses and bacteria in acute asthma exacerbations - A GA 2LEN-DARE* systematic review. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 66(4), 458–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2010.02505.x
- Wu, X., Huang, F., Yao, W., & Xue, Z. (2025). The role of innate immune system in respiratory viral infection related asthma. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 15(June), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1604831
References
Oliver, B. G. G., Robinson, P., Peters, M., & Black, J. (2014). Viral infections and asthma: An inflammatory interface? European Respiratory Journal, 44(6), 1666–1681. https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00047714
Papadopoulos, N. G., Christodoulou, I., Rohde, G., Agache, I., Almqvist, C., Bruno, A., Bonini, S., Bont, L., Bossios, A., Bousquet, J., Braido, F., Brusselle, G., Canonica, G. W., Carlsen, K. H., Chanez, P., Fokkens, W. J., Garcia-Garcia, M., Gjomarkaj, M., Haahtela, T., … Zuberbier, T. (2011). Viruses and bacteria in acute asthma exacerbations - A GA 2LEN-DARE* systematic review. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 66(4), 458–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2010.02505.x
Wu, X., Huang, F., Yao, W., & Xue, Z. (2025). The role of innate immune system in respiratory viral infection related asthma. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 15(June), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1604831