根據一項對急性惡化的哮喘患者的最新研究，澳大利亞研究人員已經發現了一種新途徑來鑒別由病毒誘導的哮喘與過敏原導致的哮喘。

在這項研究中，59例急性哮喘的痰細胞學特征與45例對照進行了分析對比。對照組包括14例穩定型哮喘且沒有病毒感染，15例沒有哮喘但是有病毒感染的患者，16例健康受試者。為了查明感染狀態和肺部疾病歷史，受試者進行了普通感冒和哮喘問卷調查、微生物學檢測、肺功能與過敏原檢測。

在46例受試者或者78％例急性哮喘患者中檢測出了呼吸道病毒。在兒童與成人患者中，哮喘惡化一般由呼吸道病毒感染所導致的，83％的病例感染鼻病毒。研究人員發現，白介素10主要抑制免疫應答，與對照組相比較，病毒性感染的急性哮喘中白介素10病毒顯著升高。因此，氣道細胞表達的白介素10成為成為病毒感染特征。與那些由于過敏原導致的哮喘相比較，病毒誘導的哮喘發病機制并不相同。

這項研究是由澳大利亞John Hunter醫院的研究人員進行的，發表在2005年8月15日期的《美國呼吸道與重癥監護醫學》之上。

Detecting Virus-Induced Asthma
 
Australian researchers have discovered a new way to distinguish virus-induced asthma from that caused by allergens, according to a new study of asthma patients who were experiencing acute exacerbation.

In the study, the sputum cellular profiles of 59 acute asthmatics were compared with those of 45 controls. The controls group included 14 patients with stable asthma and no viral infection, 15 subjects without asthma but with a viral infection, and 16 healthy subjects. To establish infection status and pulmonary history, participants completed common cold and asthma questionnaires, microbiologic tests, and lung function and allergy tests.

A respiratory virus was detected in 46 subjects, or 78%, of those with acute asthma. In both children and adults, the asthma exacerbations were caused by viral respiratory infections, with 83% of cases infected with rhinovirus. The researchers found that expression of interleuken 10 (IL-10), which functions to suppress immune responses, was significantly increased in acute asthma patients with viral infections, when compared to control groups. Consequently, IL-10 expression from airway cells appears to be a feature of virus-induced acute asthma. Different mechanisms were found to be at work in virus-induced asthma patients, compared to those described in allergen-induced asthma.

The study, conducted by researchers at the John Hunter Hospital in New Lambton (Australia), appeared in the August 15, 2005, issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.