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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Feb;9(1):73–78. doi: 10.1097/ACI.0b013e32831f8f1b

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Atopy, wheezing, and asthma. Viral respiratory infections are common during the first 3 years of life, a period of rapid lung development. Children with atopic features tend to have reduced IFN–γ responses, which is also associated with increased susceptibility to viral LRI. Viral replication and the induction of inflammation in the lower airway during this period of rapid development could lead to long term changes in airway structure (fibrosis), abnormal physiology (airway hyperresponsiveness), and clinical asthma.