Detection Of Early Infection With Flu Viruses In Patients With Bronchial Asthma And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) In Winter Season In The State Of Qatar: A One Year Prospective Study

Flu infections are an important cause of morbidity in patients with various medical conditions which require inpatient and outpatient care. To reduce the impact of Flu infections in Qatar; continued studies, intense surveillance, increased use of influenza vaccine, and anti‐virals with the potential for broader protection were required. The objective of this study is to understand the viral etiologies of respiratory tract infection during the winter season associated with asthma and COPD and to evaluate a new diagnostic‐ respiratory detection by Real‐time PCR to detect 15 virus at the same time (influenza A (FluA) and B (FluB); corona viruses NL63 (Cor63), 229E (Cor229) and OC43 (Cor43), parainfluenza 1, 2, 3 and 4 (para1, para2, para3, para4), human metapneumo virus A and B (Hump A and B), rhinovirus (rhino), respiratory syncytial viruses A and B (RSVA and B) and adenovirus (AV). Nasal swabs from 200 patients above 18 years old with asthma and COPD attending the chest clinic at HMC during winter season between 1 st of Oct. 2008 and 31 st March 2009 were collected. Among the sample population it was found that, 190 patients had asthma and 10 had COPD. Only 36 patients had viruses related to the respiratory tract infection; 31 of which associated with asthma and 5 with COPD. The most predominant respiratory virus was Rhino virus 17 %. Additionally, it was found that the new diagnostic respiratory detection by Real‐time PCR machine was effective in detection of the fifteen viruses.