Children who experience wheezing with rhinovirus are at increased risk of developing asthma later in life, according to a new study.

Led by researchers at US academic institution the University of Wisconsin and published in the first October issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study involved almost 300 newborns deemed to be at high risk of the condition.

They were followed from birth to the age of six and were evaluated for the presence of specific viruses during wheezing illnesses.

By the time they reached their sixth year of life, 28 per cent of the children had asthma, with those who had wheezed with rhinovirus disproportionately among them, according to the study.

Those who wheezed during the first year of life were nearly three times as likely to have the condition by the time they were six, with the risk increasing to nearly six times if they wheezed with the virus during their second year.

"We have found that rhinovirus - the most common cause of colds - contributes a disproportionate amount towards future asthma development in comparison to other viruses that also cause childhood wheezing," commented lead investigator Dr Robert Lemanske Jr.

Login and visit the Asthma Knowledge Centre

• Traffic pollution worsens child asthma symptoms, study finds 14/11/08
• Breastfeeding babies could enhance lung function, according to research 10/11/08
• Asthma-causing cell visualisation research carried out 07/11/08
• Genetics could explain racial disparities in asthma, research suggests 09/10/08
• Parental expectations influences child asthma, study suggests 06/10/08