Impact of imposed social isolation and use of face masks on asthma course and mental health in pediatric and adult patients with recurrent wheeze and asthma

Maison, Nicole; Herbrüggen, Heidrun; Schaub, Bianca; Schauberger, Christina; Foth, Svenja; Grychtol, Ruth; Abdo, Mustafa; Watz, Henrik; Nikolaizik, Wilfried; Rabe, Klaus F.; Kopp, Matthias V.; Hansen, Gesine; von Mutius, Erika; Bahmer, Thomas; Omony, Jimmy

BACKGROUND: There is currently a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, and further drastic restrictions in our daily life will be necessary to contain this pandemic. The implications of restrictive measures like social-distancing and mouth-nose protection on patients with chronic respiratory diseases have hardly been investigated. METHODS: Our survey, was conducted within the All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), a multicenter longitudinal observational study. We assessed the effects of COVID-19 imposed social isolation and use of facial masks, on asthma course and mental health in patients with asthma and wheezing. RESULTS: We observed a high rate of problems associated with using facemasks and a significant reduction in the use of routine medical care. In addition to unsettling impacts, such as an increase in depression symptoms in adults, an astonishing and pleasing effect was striking: preschool children experienced an improvement in disease condition during the lockdown. This improvement can be attributed to a significant reduction in exposure to viral infections. CONCLUSION: Long-term observation of this side effect may help improve our understanding of the influence of viral infections on asthma in early childhood.