Viral infections are the most frequent precipitants of asthma exacerbations in infancy.
However, chronic asthma also may start as early as the first year of life among infants with a family history of asthma, persistent rhinorrhea, atopic dermatitis, or high IgE levels. Early identification of these infants allows institution of environmental controls to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke, animal dander, and house-dust mites. This site produced by the Journal of the American Medical Association . All rights reserved.