You’ve most likely heard of COVID-19. Although the numbers seem to constantly be growing, the current amount of diagnoses sits at just about 2.1 million people. In many articles, you’ll see that severe respiratory symptoms can occur as a result of COVID-19 infection. But does having a respiratory ailment increase the risk? If you have asthma, you may even be asking: is there any link between asthma and COVID-19?
Well, according to the New York Times, having asthma does not actually seem to be a high-risk factor for contracting COVID-19.
Asthma and COVID-19
In an article in The Independent, actor Idris Elba worried about his condition after testing positive for COVID-19. As quoted in The Independent, Elba noted:
“I have asthma, and so I sort of fit in the high category of most at risk. I have a respiratory issue and I’ve asthma all my life, so catching corona was definitely not on my bucket list at all.”
Elba isn’t alone. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also shared that people with asthma may be more at risk than those without prior respiratory conditions.
But an examination of data collected from patients with COVID-19 disagree with that assertion. New York has been the epicenter of the American viral outbreak since mid-March. With over 213,000 patients (about 1/3 of the total US patients with COVID-19) and just under 12,000 deaths, New York is uniquely positioned to present and explore data on the virus.
But asthma is not on the list of the top 10 chronic health problems of patients who died from COVID-19. In fact, only 5% of the deaths in New York were patients who also had asthma. Rather, the top 10 health problems were:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Coronary artery disease
- Dementia
- Atrial fibrillation, an irregular and erratic heartbeat
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Renal disease
- Cancer
- Congestive heart failure
Asthma
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) defines asthma as a chronic condition that causes airways to become inflamed and swollen. People with asthma may sometimes experience difficulty breathing, coughing, or tightness in the chest. Many people with asthma use an inhaler or other medication to assist with breathing and mitigate symptoms. About 25 million U.S. citizens have asthma.
So what does this mean?
Admittedly, additional research needs to be performed to see if these results are similar in other locations. So far, the results are somewhat inconclusive, although asthma still seems to play a small role in patient death.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, which studied 24 critically ill patients in Washington, found that three had asthma (14%). Another article in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine shared that:
One might anticipate that patients with chronic respiratory diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, would be at increased risk of [COVID-19] infection and more severe presentations of COVID-19. However, it is striking that both diseases appear to be under-represented in the comorbidities reported for patients with COVID-19.
Rather, authors of the article in The Lancet stated that patients with COVID-19 were more likely to have diabetes.
What Doctors Say
It seems like asthma and COVID-19 may not be all that related. But despite the research, doctors still advocate for patients to be careful. The first step is continuing to take any medications used to treat asthma. Next, doctors say that telemedicine is a great option for patients experiencing respiratory troubles due to asthma. Rather than risking visiting a doctor, telemedicine allows for patient-doctor communication from home.
Many, citing their personal opinions, believe that patients with asthma still may present a higher risk.
Dr. Young Juhn
Dr. Juhn believes that asthma generally puts patients at a higher risk of infections and poor outcomes. Thus, if patients developed COVID-19, adverse reactions might occur. Additionally, he notes that asthma tends to disproportionally impact marginalized communities that may not have access to COVID-19 care. His findings do reflect data that states that African Americans are more at risk of COVID-19 than other populations.
Dr. Linda Rogers
According to Dr. Rogers, her initial belief was that patients with asthma and other respiratory ailments were more at risk of harm from COVID-19. While she does acknowledge that “asthma is underrepresented” in patients with COVID-19, her worries stem from prior studies. In the past, the flu and other mild strains of coronavirus have aggravated asthma in patients. She states that:
“Viral infections are the number one cause of asthma flares in both children and adults under normal conditions.”
Thus, patients with asthma should still participate in hand-washing, social distancing, and other measures designed to optimize health during this pandemic.
