- 2026-04
- European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society 35(180)
- Sachin Ananth
- Gioulinta S Alimani
- Cristina Boccabella
- Ekaterina Khaleva
- Jan Hansel
- Ran Wang
- Graham Roberts
- Chris Kosmidis
- Apostolos Bossios
- Jørgen Vestbo
- Effie Papageorgiou
- Nikolaos G Papadopoulos
- Apostolos Beloukas
- Alexander G Mathioudakis
Study Design
- Type
- Meta-Analysis
- Population
- children and adults with asthma
- Methods
- Meta-analysis employing molecular techniques to assess respiratory virus prevalence; three databases searched in August 2024; random-effects meta-analysis of proportions
Background
Respiratory viruses, frequently detected in asthma, are associated with worse outcomes. This meta-analysis systematically quantifies the prevalence of respiratory viruses in stable and acute asthma, across children and adults, and explores factors associated with increased viral burden through meta-regression.Methods
This prospectively registered meta-analysis (PROSPERO-CRD42023375108) included studies employing molecular techniques to assess respiratory virus prevalence in asthma. Three databases were searched in August 2024. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed. We performed random-effects meta-analysis of proportions.Results
We included 111 eligible studies. Moderate-certainty evidence indicated a pooled prevalence of any respiratory virus of 33.9% (95% confidence interval 24.8-43.7%) in children and 23.0% (12.9-35.0%) in adults with stable asthma. In acute asthma, prevalence increased to 58.8% (52.5-65.0%) in children and 49.9% (41.2-58.5%) in adults (moderate certainty). Rhinovirus was the most frequently identified virus, especially in acute asthma (45.0% in children versus 21.2% in adults). Respiratory syncytial virus and bocavirus were more common in younger children, while coronavirus and influenza were more frequently detected in adults; respiratory syncytial virus peaked in older adults too. A higher prevalence of influenza virus B and adenovirus in children, and of influenza virus A and parainfluenza 2 in adults with severe versus non-severe acute asthma suggests a potential association with more severe acute attacks.Conclusion
Respiratory viruses are common in both stable and acute asthma. This suggests that the diagnostic value of a positive viral test during acute episodes may be limited and could benefit from complementary biomarkers to improve interpretation.