Infectious asthma is a subtype of asthma.
Did you now that many patients report that their asthma began after a respiratory illness?
Infectious asthma does NOT refer to the known fact that many people with established asthma will experience asthma attacks (called “acute exacerbations” or AEX) triggered by viruses and by some bacterial infections.
Infectious asthma DOES refer to the very first asthma symptoms starting during or after an acute respiratory illness (bronchitis or pneumonia) that appears to be an infection. Another term that has been used to mean the same thing as infectious asthma is “asthma associated with infection” (AAWI). Listen to this “Deep Dive” Infectious Asthma Blog to hear an overview about Infectious Asthma and its importance.
How common is infectious asthma?
Because doctors and researchers do not routinely collect information on whether asthma begins after an acute respiratory illness, the true frequency of infectious asthma (IA) is not known. Studies of primary care patients found that IA is reported by almost half of people who can recall how their asthma began. Other studies have found that specific bacterial infections can start new-onset asthma or be a risk factor for getting asthma later.
Can infection cause new-onset asthma?
Yes. This has been shown in a few studies. How commonly this happens is unknown. An important question is whether some infections can persist and contribute to ongoing asthma problems. Some other studies show that more than half of children and adults who already have severe asthma are infected with one of two specific bacteria that could plausibly help cause their asthma. The two bacteria are Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Can treating infection benefit asthma?
In some cases the answer is YES. This website presents evidence from one researcher’s experience. For a comprehensive view of the emerging research please visit Intracell Research Group.