Contracting RSV Before Age 2 Can Cause Long-term Lung Changes and functional Impairment, finds study

Infants and children who have severe cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) before age 2 are likely to have changes to their lung structure and function that could affect respiratory health later in life. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and has been chosen as an APSselect article for April.

Most children contract RSV, a lower respiratory tract disease, before they are 2 years old. Mild forms of the disease mimic the common cold with symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. Severe forms of RSV can include wheezing, trouble breathing and, when oxygen levels are compromised, a blue tinge to the skin. A severe infection can affect a child’s future health as well. “[S]evere early-life RSV infection is associated with childhood wheezing related to respiratory viral infection exacerbation, allergies and asthma, that is accompanied by compromised lung function,” the researchers wrote.

To study severe RSV, the researchers measured lung function and alveolarization in infant mice. Alveolarization is the development of alveoli, the sacs in the lungs responsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. “Alveolarization continues into adulthood with maximum alveolarization occurring between [2 and 3 years old] in humans,” the team wrote. Production of large numbers of immune cells occurs around the same time.