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Viruses account for large numbers of infections often leading to acute asthmatic exacerbations.
More than 80 percent of pediatric asthma attacks spring directly from viral infections while 30-40 percent of adult asthmatic exacerbations can be linked to viral infections, according to January's Medscape Respiratory Care Journal . Adults appear felled primarily by rhinoviruses and parainfluenza. Colo. Viruses alter epithelial cell structure within airways, causing cells to begin proliferating. Such proliferation acutely narrows the asthmatic's sensitive airways. Increased edema within airways and sympathetic nerve exposure due to cellular sloughing also contribute to asthmatic exacerbations during infectious periods.