¿Es la patogenia del virus sincitial respiratorio humano un factor de riesgo para el desarrollo de asma infantil?

Abstract

The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is the main pathogen of respiratory tract infections in children. The severity of the infection depends on its clinical severity: from uncomplicated upper airway infections, in healthy adults and children, to bronchiolitis and bronchopneumonia that could be developed in children younger than 2 years with risk factors. The virus belongs to the Pneumoviridae family and Orthopneumovirus genus, it is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded RNA genome with a negative polarity that codifies 7 structural proteins (G, F, SH, M, P, N and L) and four non-structural proteins (NS1, NS2, M1, M2). The viral infection has been considered as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma, which is the most common airway inflammatory disease in children and is characterized by recurrent episodes of lower airway obstruction in the presence of harmless environmental stimuli. The risk increases if the primary infection occurs at an early age and in risk factors such as prematurity and pulmonary broncho-dysplasia. Due to the morbidity and mortality associated with hRSV, since 2008, the use of biopharmaceuticals as Palivizumab for prophylaxis in high-risk patients has been approved. The present review aims to present those factors that could be involved in the development of childhood asthma and their possible link to the presence of hRSV. In addition, we intend to present the potential risks in the population. For a better comprehension of the virus, we present a brief analysis of the viral structure, the induced immune response against the viral infection and the approved drugs in Mexico for treatment and prophylaxis against hRSV.