Abstract
Introduction: Among asthmatic patients with exacerbative status, the discrimination is difficult whether those patients have virus respiratory infection (VRI) or not.
Aims: To investigate the prevalence of VRI in exacerbation of adult asthma both in hospitalized or not-hospitalized patients, and characterized clinical findings in the perspective of the presence of VRI.
Methods: Prospective observational cohort study was conducted at Kyorin University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan from August 2012 to August 2013. All patients with exacerbative asthma were included, and respiratory samples were obtained and applied for multiplex polymerase chain reaction method for common respiratory viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Chlamydophila pneumoniae.
Results: The 44 patients were enrolled, who are consisted of hospitalized (n=15) or not-hospitalized patients (n=29), respectively. No patients had isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae. The incidence of VRI was significantly higher in former group (46.7%, n=7) than that of latter group (6.9%, n=2).
In hospitalized patients, human rhinovirus (n=5), human metapneumovirus (n=1), and respiratory syncytial virus (n=1) were identified. On admission, virus positive group (n=7) had significant lower value of SpO2 (81.4±3.9%) than that of virus negative group (n=8, SpO2:91.8±1.3%,p<0.007), and the frequency of hypercapnia (PaCO2≥45 Torr) was significantly higher in virus positive group (66.7%, n=4) than that of virus negative group (0%) (p=0.014), respectively.
Conclusion: VRI was associated with hospitalized patients who had more severe respiratory failure.
- © 2014 ERS