Asthma in Adult Patients with COVID-19. Prevalence and Risk of Severe Disease
Paul Terry, R. Eric Heidel, Rajiv Dhand
Abstract
Abstract Rationale Health outcomes of people with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) range from no symptoms to severe illness and death. Asthma, a common chronic lung disease, has been considered likely to increase the severity of COVID-19, although data addressing this hypothesis have been scarce until very recently. Objectives To review the epidemiologic literature related to asthma’s potential role in COVID-19 severity. Methods Studies were identified through the PubMed (MEDLINE) and medRxiv (preprint) databases using the search terms “asthma,” “SARS-CoV-2” (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), and “COVID-19,” and by cross-referencing citations in identified studies that were available in print or online before December 22, 2020. Measurements and Main Results Asthma prevalence data were obtained from studies of people with COVID-19 and regional health statistics. We identified 150 studies worldwide that allowed us to compare the prevalence of asthma in patients with COVID-19 by region, disease severity, and mortality. The results of our analyses do not provide clear evidence of increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalization, severity, or mortality due to asthma. Conclusions These findings could provide some reassurance to people with asthma regarding its potential to increase their risk of severe morbidity from COVID-19.