D2.127 - Rhinovirus Infection in Early Childhood and Risk of Asthma: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

Rhinovirus (RV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in early childhood and has increasingly been implicated in the subsequent development of asthma. However, data from real-life hospital cohorts with medium-term follow-up remain limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate respiratory outcomes in children hospitalized for rhinovirus infection and to assess the association between early RV infection and later asthma.

This was a prospective descriptive study including children hospitalized for rhinovirus-associated respiratory infections between 2021 and 2023. Clinical, demographical, virological, radiological, and therapeutic data were collected from medical records. Patients were followed for two years after the initial hospitalization. Persistent wheezing at two-year follow-up was considered indicative of asthma.

Seventy-one children were included (age <24 months), with a mean age of 10.5 ± 6.4 months. The main reasons for hospitalization were bronchiolitis (39.4%) and acute pneumonia (28.2%). Wheezing was present in 77.5% of cases, and 97.2% had tachypnea. Oxygen therapy was required in 60.6% of patients.

After two years of follow-up, 44 children (62.0%) had persistent wheezing. A diagnosis of asthma was established in 33 patients (46.5%). Progression to asthma was more frequent in children with personal or familial atopy and in those with recurrent respiratory hospitalizations.

Children hospitalized for rhinovirus infection in early life showed a high rate of persistent wheezing and asthma at two-year follow-up. These findings support the role of rhinovirus as a potential contributor to asthma development, particularly in children with an atopic predisposition, and highlight the need for long-term respiratory follow-up after severe RV infections.