The Impact of COVID-19 on patients with asthma

Jose L. Izquierdo, C. Almonacid, Y. González, C. del Río-Bermúdez, J. Ancochea, R. Cárdenas, S. Lumbreras, Joan B. Soriano

European Respiratory Journal Vol. 57, nº. 3, pp. 2003142-1 - 2003142-9

Summary:

Background: An association between the severity of COVID-19 and the presence of certain chronic conditions has been suggested. However, unlike influenza and other viruses, the disease burden in patients with asthma has been less evident.

Objective: To understand the impact of COVID-19 in patients with asthma.

Methods: Using big data analytics and artificial intelligence through the SAVANA Manager® clinical platform, we analysed clinical data from patients with asthma from January 1st to May 10th, 2020.

Results: Out of 71,182 patients with asthma, 1006 (1.41%) suffered from COVID-19. Compared to asthmatic individuals without COVID-19, patients with asthma and COVID-19 were significantly older (55 versus 42 years), predominantly female (66% versus 59%), smoked more frequently, and had higher prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemias, diabetes, and obesity. Allergy-related factors such as rhinitis and eczema were less common in asthmatic patients with COVID-19 (p<.001). Higher prevalence of these comorbidities was also observed in patients with COVID-19 who required hospital admission. The use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) was lower in patients who required hospitalisation due to COVID-19, as compared to non-hospitalised patients (48.3% versus 61.5%; OR: 0.58: 95% CI 0.44-0.77). Although patients treated with biologics (n=865; 1.21%) showed increased severity and more comorbidities at the ENT level, COVID-19-related hospitalisations in these patients were relatively low (0.23%).

Conclusion: Patients with asthma and COVID-19 were older and at increased risk due to comorbidity-related factors. ICS and biologics are generally safe and may be associated with a protective effect against severe COVID-19 infection.

JCR Impact Factor and WoS quartile: 33,795 - Q1 (2021); 16,600 - Q1 (2023)

DOI reference: https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.03142-2020

Published on paper: March 2021.

Published on-line: March 2021.

Citation:
Jose L. Izquierdo, C. Almonacid, Y. González, C. del Río-Bermúdez, J. Ancochea, R. Cárdenas, S. Lumbreras, Joan B. Soriano, The Impact of COVID-19 on patients with asthma. European Respiratory Journal. Vol. 57, nº. 3, pp. 2003142-1 - 2003142-9, March 2021. [Online: March 2021]