Abstract
Even though respiratory viruses are one of the most common triggers for
asthma exacerbations, not all of these viruses affect patients equally.
There is no strong evidence supporting that patients with asthma have a
higher risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19), although recent reports from the United States of America
and the United Kingdom suggest that asthma is much more common in
children and adults with mild to severe COVID-19 than it was previously
reported in Asia and in Europe. As in previous severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) outbreaks, patients with asthma, especially children,
appear to be less susceptible to the coronavirus with a low rate of
asthma exacerbations. Different expression of viral receptors and T2
inflammation can be responsible for different outcomes. Future studies
focused on asthma and on other allergic disorders are needed to provide
greater understanding of the impact of underlying asthma and allergic
inflammation on COVID-19 susceptibility and disease severity. But, for
the moment, it’s crucial that asthmatic patients maintain their
controller medication, from inhaled corticosteroids to biologics,
without self-making any dose adjustments or stopping medication. New
data are emerging daily, rapidly updating our understanding of this
novel coronavirus.