There’s an established link between chronic asthma and the severity of coronavirus symptoms, according to general opinion. However, a recent research report suggests this may not necessarily be the case, although it did not make headlines. This study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggestes the link between asthma and COVID-19 severity may be more complex.
New Information about Link between Asthma and COVID-19 Severity
The new data comes from a retrospective study of 1,526 patients across 10 hospitals with affiliation to Northwestern Medicine. The desktop study accessed patient records via the healthcare provider’s electronic database. Of the 1,526 patients, 220 (14%) had asthma.
1… This occurrence was significantly higher than the national rate of 8 to 9%
2… The 14% was in line with the CDC concurrent morbidity and mortality report
The study tested the general assumption using these two models of associated risks:
1… Demographic factors including age, ethnicity, and gender
2… Multiple risk factors, for example smoking and obesity
The study team found to their surprise no evidence of asthma patients faring worse. However, they did find a range of co-morbid conditions were more common in COVID-19 patients who also had asthma. They wondered could this be the link between asthma and COVID-19 severity.
Do Two Types of Asthma Predict COVID-19 Severity?
Asthma is an umbrella term for lung spasms, wheezing, and breathing difficulties. However, these have two different triggers. The first are seasonal allergies resulting from pollen and mold. While the second set of triggers includes cold weather, exercise, and stress.
An earlier Harvard study investigated the link between asthma and COVID-19 severity in terms of these differentials. It analyzed records of 492,768 patients registered in UK.
This biobank revealed non-allergic asthma ‘significantly heightened’ the possibility of severe COVID-19, while allergic cases did not. However, inhaling corticosteroid medication ‘did not appear to increase the risk of severe coronavirus infection.
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