Perspectives in Respiratory Infections and the Lung

• Authors: Anne Fitzpatrick, Emory University; William W Busse, University of Wisconsin
• Journal Title: JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE
• Volume: Volume 10, Number 3
• Publisher: ELSEVIER | 2022-03-01, Pages 694-696
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2022.01.026
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Allergy; Immunology

Abstract

Respiratory infections are common, usually involve the upper respiratory tract, and, in most cases, are self-limited and well tolerated. However, in at-risk patients with asthma, respiratory tract infections can provoke symptoms and airflow obstruction that may be profound and debilitating. Furthermore, when respiratory infections directly infect the lung, morbidity can be significant and even lead to death. The scope, influence, and contributions of respiratory infections to compromises in life-sustaining function of the lungs have been dramatically, and catastrophically, demonstrated with the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). For the readers of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice), the clinical implications of respiratory infections and the lung are well known and appreciated, and encompass an important component of clinical and research endeavors. The resulting advances have led to greater mechanistic insights, contributed to a greater recognition and appreciation of the effects of respiratory infections on the lung, and lastly, but most important, improved patient outcomes. The 4 articles of this thematic issue serve to underscore the importance of Respiratory Infections and the Lung to readers of JACI: In Practice and serve to provide information valuable in patient care