Scientists find link between colds and asthma attacks

A scientific team at the Imperial College and the Medical Research Council Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma believe they've found the link between common colds and severe asthma attacks. Testing lung cells in both asthmatic and nonasthmatic populations with a cold, the researchers say they found that asthma sufferers also have a lower level of antiviral proteins called interferons. The research suggests that arming inhalers with interferons that could be administered during a cold may help prevent severe attacks. Several experts in the field told the BBC that the research opens promising therapeutic avenues for treating asthma.

- see the article on the asthma research from the BBC