Asthma in Adult Patients with COVID-19. Prevalence and Risk of Severe Disease

Terry, Paul D.; Heidel, R. Eric; Dhand, Rajiv

Rationale: Health outcomes of people with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) range from no symptoms to severe illness and death. Asthma, a common chronic lung disease, has been considered likely to increase the severity of COVID-19, although data addressing this hypothesis have been scarce until very recently. Objectives: To review the epidemiologic literature related to asthma’s potential role in COVID-19 severity. Methods: Studies were identified through the PubMed (MEDLINE) and medRxiv (preprint) databases using the search terms “asthma,” “SARS-CoV-2” (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), and “COVID-19,” and by cross-referencing citations in identified studies that were available in print or online before December 22, 2020. Measurements and Main Results: Asthma prevalence data were obtained from studies of people with COVID-19 and regional health statistics. We identified 150 studies worldwide that allowed us to compare the prevalence of asthma in patients with COVID-19 by region, disease severity, and mortality. The results of our analyses do not provide clear evidence of increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalization, severity, or mortality due to asthma. Conclusions: These findings could provide some reassurance to people with asthma regarding its potential to increase their risk of severe morbidity from COVID-19.