Objectives To investigate the impact of early-life human rhinovirus (HRV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections on subsequent asthma development among children with acute respiratory infections (ARI), with a focus on the timing of infection during critical developmental windows. Design Retrospective cohort study.
Setting Tertiary paediatric hospital - Children's Hospital of Soochow University in eastern China - with data linked to a regional health information system. Participants A total of 2628 children who were hospitalised with acute respiratory infections (ARI) and received respiratory virus testing between September 2017 and December 2024 were included in this study.
Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was incident asthma. Associations between early-life HRV or RSV infection and asthma risk were evaluated using univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.
Causal mediation analysis was applied to examine potential mediation by wheezing and bronchiolitis. Secondary outcomes were the frequency of asthma-related medical visits and number of exacerbations, analysed using multivariable negative binomial regression models.
Results Overall, 616 (20.2%) children developed asthma.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 20 May 2026.
The item focuses on Association of early-life human rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus infections with childhood asthma: a cohort study in Suzhou, China.
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