Asthmatics who have their disease well controlled have less severe Covid-19 results. This, unlike those with uncontrolled asthma, according to the results published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
ASTHMA: a problem in the face of COVID-19
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many unknowns, including who was most at risk for serious illness or dying from the illness.
COVID: People with asthma were on high alert
A contagious and deadly respiratory virus like SARS-CoV-2 seemed like a certain threat to people who may have difficulty breathing on any given day.
However, although it is suggested that asthma is not associated with an increased severity of coronavirus or a worse prognosis. The new study indicates that asthma patients, especially those who require clinical care. They must continue to take their asthma medications during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Anyone with asthma should continue to work with their healthcare provider. This is to ensure that you are receiving the best treatment for your asthma. Which leads to better asthma control and decreases the likelihood of severe Covid-19 results. ” Said Zhanghua Chen, assistant professor of population sciences and public health at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
RESULTS:
Researchers collected data on 61,338 Covid-19 patients using Kaiser Permanente Southern California electronic medical records from March 1 to August 31, 2020.
Medical codes were used to determine if these patients had asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prior to their Covid-19 diagnosis.
The researchers also separated the data further, with the “active” group representing patients who had a clinic visit for asthma in the past 12 months and the “inactive” group representing those who had not.
More likely to be hospitalized
Patients in the active asthma group had significantly higher odds of hospitalization. As well as the need for intensive respiratory assistance and admission to the ICU within 30 days after the coronavirus diagnosis compared to those without a history of asthma or COPD.
In particular, the researchers did not see a higher chance of mortality within 60 days for the active asthma group.
The importance of treatment
“This study went beyond examining the impact of asthma on Covid-19 outcomes and instead focused on how Covid-19 outcomes might change for asthma patients based on their level of asthma control,” said Anny H Xiang of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation.
“We also saw that even in patients with active asthma, if they were using asthma medications, their chances of worsening Covid-19 outcomes decreased. Which shows how important these drugs are, ”Xiang said.
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