July 7th, 2008
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This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.New treatment may tackle virus-induced asthma
Inhaling antiviral proteins could prevent severe attacks caused by the common cold.
Nature.com 14 August 2006
Richard Van Noorden
No one likes a cold, but the virus is especially dangerous for asthma sufferers, in whom it can trigger severe asthma attacks. Now research published in Nature Medicine1 shows that asthmatics' low levels of particular antiviral proteins are to blame. The finding suggests a new way to treat virus-induced acute asthma attacks: let the patient inhale the relevant proteins.
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