Epidemiology: Open Access

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Asthma in HIV-Infected Population: A Review of Respiratory Symptoms, Pulmonary Function Abnormalities and Pathophysiology

Aditi Puri, Matthew Gingo and Alison Morris

Asthma is prevalent around the world, requiring frequent hospital admissions and resulting in significant morbidity. National surveillance for asthma in the United States estimated the prevalence of asthma from 2006-2008 to be approximately 7.3% in adults, with the prevalence being higher in females (8.9%) than males (5.5%). The pathophysiology of asthma is characterized by inflammation and hyper-responsiveness of lung bronchioles. There is emerging evidence indicating an association between asthma and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but much remains to be learned. The article will review the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function abnormalities and asthma in the HIV-infected population and summarize recent research focusing on potential mechanisms linking the two disease processes. In addition, we review important asthma treatment considerations in HIV-infected individuals.