When viruses from common ailments such as the cold or the flu start causing asthma symptoms that is then called viral induced asthma. According to research there are two ways that viruses can set up the whole stage for triggering asthma attacks. There are actually two categories which can be considered when looking at viral induced asthma.

The first type affects people who literally have had no experience or history of asthma but begins to develop symptoms such as coughing and wheezing which begins after a viral illness like a cold or flu for example. The second type or viral-induced asthma has been known to affect children and adults who already have persistent asthma thereby worsening the already present symptoms associated with the condition. Survey shows that about 40% of asthma attacks in adults are caused by viral illness.

Several viruses can be blamed for triggering viral induced asthma but the two most common causes would be the Rhinovirus which causes colds and Influenza A which causes the flu. Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV is a virus that causes respiratory has also been found to cause respiratory infections in adults as well as children and infants. While RSV can pose great risks to adults it has been found to have a more significant impact on infants as getting this type of respiratory infection at a younger age would be likely to cause asthma and the symptoms associated with it until the age of 6.

There also seems to be a correlation between the severity of the respiratory infections, allergies in the child or parent, and the chance of having airway sensitivity that is very similar to asthma. The main reason as to why viruses cause asthma it seems lie within our own body’s defence mechanism. Under normal circumstances, when faced with a viral infection, our body triggers and inflammatory response to attack the virus and defend our body. During this phase, our body has increased sensitivity or airway cells, excessive mucus production and can cause swelling.

The problem starts when the virus starts to progress to the lower airway directly because our body start defending it from there causing asthma symptoms to occur or worsen in return. Inflammation can make it difficult for air to pass in and out freely, mucus can also add to the problem by blocking the already inflamed passages.

As of the moment there is no effective means being offered which can directly deal with the condition. The best advice that can be given would be prevention by getting flu shots yearly. Along with practice of proper hygiene and limited contact with those who have flu or colds can help.