Studies show that asthma does not appear to increase the risk of developing COVID-19

According to the Rutgers research team, asthma does not seem to increase the risk of people with COVID-19 or affect the severity of COVID-19.

Age and conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and obesity have been reported as risk factors for the development and progression of COVID-19.“

Reynold A. Panettieri Jr, Co-author of Research, Pulmonary Emergency Medicine Physician, and Director, Translation Medicine and Director, Rutgers University

Panetti’s paper Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology..

“But asthmatics being treated to control asthma inflammation appear less affected by SARS-CoV-2 than non-asthmatics, even those with impaired lung function.” There is limited data on why this is the case when managing inflammation is the result of physiology or treatment.”

Panettieri discusses what we know about asthma and inflammation and important questions that still need to be answered.

How does recognition of SARS-CoV-2 affect the health of people with asthma?

The news has focused our attention on the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, so people with asthma may become very alert about personal hygiene and social distance. ..

Self-isolated people are also not exposed to seasonal triggers, including allergens and respiratory viruses, so they can improve asthma control by increasing their social distance. There is also evidence that people are paying more attention to taking their asthma medications during a pandemic that can contribute to overall health.

How may inhaled steroids affect COVID-19 outcomes?

Inhaled corticosteroids are commonly used to prevent asthma attacks and may reduce the ability of the virus to establish an infection.

However, studies have shown that steroids can reduce the body’s immune response and exacerbate the inflammatory response. Steroids have also been shown to delay clearance of SARS and MERS viruses (similar to SARS-CoV-2) from the respiratory tract and may exacerbate COVID-19 results.

Future studies should consider whether steroid inhalation increases or decreases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with asthma or allergies, and whether these effects differ by steroid type.

What role does age play in how asthmatics respond to exposure to the virus?

Susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 infections increase with age. However, asthma patients tend to be younger than those who are reported to be at higher risk, so age-adjusted studies have shown that age is a factor in explaining why asthma patients are not at increased risk of infection. Helps to understand if there is.

Children and young adults with asthma primarily suffer from allergic inflammation, but older people who experience the same type of airway inflammation can also suffer from eosinophilic asthma-a more serious form.

In these cases, a person experiences abnormally high levels of white blood cells that help the body fight infections, causing inflammation of the respiratory tract, sinuses, nasal passages, and lower respiratory tract, which can increase the risk of serious cases. Of COVID-19.

In addition, enzymes attached to cell membranes of the lungs, arteries, heart, kidneys, and intestines, which have been shown to be the entry point for SARS-CoV-2 into cells, are increased in response to the virus.

This enzyme is also thought to be beneficial in cleaning other respiratory viruses, especially in children. It is still unclear how this enzyme affects the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect asthma.

How do conditions in addition to asthma affect a person’s risk of infection?

Asthma tends to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other conditions much less than cardiovascular disease.

When SARS-CoV-2 is a disorder that causes dysfunction of cells lining blood vessels throughout the body, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other disorders associated with this condition are more viral than those with asthma. May be easier to do.

However, older people with asthma who also have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease may have similar instances of COVID-19 as non-asthmatics in these conditions.