Asthma no indicator for common cold
15 March 2002
UK doctors say people with atopic asthma are no more likely than healthy people to pick up a rhinovirus infection (common cold), contrary to popular belief. Any upper respiratory tract symptoms are just as common and severe, and last as long.
But it's a different story for lower respiratory tract infections. If people with atopic asthma are infected, symptoms are likely to be twice as frequent, more severe and last longer say the researchers in a paper published in the medical journal Lancet (2002; 359: 831-34).
The researchers examined the effects of rhinovirus infections among 76 cohabiting couples, in which one partner had atopic asthma while the other was healthy. They recruited cohabiting couples to ensure equal exposure of couples to school children, the main source of rhinovirus infections.
Last Reviewed: 22 March 2002
- Medical Observer 15 March 2002
