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Asthma and the COVID-19 pandemic: literature review
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  • Mário Morais-Almeida,
  • Helena Pite,
  • Rita Aguiar,
  • Ignacio J Ansotegui,
  • Jean Bousquet
Mário Morais-Almeida
CUF-Descobertas Hospital

Corresponding Author:mmoraisalmeida@netcabo.pt

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Helena Pite
CUF Descobertas Hospital and CUF Infante Santo Hospital
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Rita Aguiar
CUF-Descobertas Hospital
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Ignacio J Ansotegui
Hospital Quironsalud Bizkaia
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Jean Bousquet
Université Versailles, St-Quentin-en-Yvelines
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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.