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Think outside the box: extrapulmonary manifestations of severe respiratory syncytial virus infection

Kentigern Thorburn1* and C Anthony Hart2

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Paediatric Intensive Care, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK

2 Department of Medical Microbiology and Genito-urinary Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK

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Critical Care 2006, 10:159 doi:10.1186/cc5012

Published: 24 August 2006

Abstract

Extrapulmonary effects of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection are not uncommon. Dr Eisenhut's systematic review of extrapulmonary manifestations of severe RSV infection clearly demonstrates clinical consequences peripheral to the lung parenchyma. The extrapulmonary impact of RSV infection raises questions as to whether these are direct RSV effects (i.e., RSV infection of site-specific tissue), secondary to parenchymal lung disease and its causative respiratory failure, or the result of inflammatory mediators dispersed from the provoked respiratory epithelium.