Potential new target to treat asthma attacks brought on by colds

Researchers have identified a molecular mechanism that could explain why the common cold can bring on life-threatening asthma attacks. Published today in Science Translational Medicine , the findings indicate this may be a potential target for new drugs that could be more effective than existing treatments. Viruses that infect the airways are the most common cause of asthma attacks, accounting for 80-90 per cent of cases. The great majority of these are rhinoviruses, which are the predominant cause of the common cold. Although illnesses caused by rhinoviruses are usually relatively mild for most people, they can also infect the lungs and, in people with respiratory diseases such as asthma, they can trigger severe attacks, sometimes leading to hospitalisation. The hallmark features of an asthma attack are inflammation and obstruction of the airways, and increased mucus production. These are all part of type-2 immune responses, which usually occur in response to allergies and parasitic infections.