Asthma does not influence the severity of COVID-19: a meta-analysis

Wu, Ting; Yu, Pengyi; Li, Yuanxia; Wang, Junxin; Li, Zhen; Qiu, Jingjing; Cui, Limei; Mou, Yakui; Sun, Yan

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported a correlation between coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and asthma. However, data on whether asthma constitutes a risk factor for COVID-19 and the prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 cases still remains scant. Here, we interrogated and analyzed the association between COVID-19 and asthma. METHODS: In this study, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for studies published between January 1, to August 28, 2020. We included studies that reported the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 and its prevalence in asthma patients. We excluded reviews, animal trails, single case reports, small case series and studies evaluating other coronavirus-related illnesses. Raw data from the studies were pooled into a meta-analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed findings from 18 studies, including asthma patients with COVID-19. The pooled prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 cases was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.06-0.11), with an overall I(2) of 99.07%, p < 0.005 . The data indicated that asthma did not increase the risk of developing severe COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] 1.04 (95% CI, 0.75-1.46) p = 0.28; I(2)=20%). In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of asthma with analyze age in COVID-19 infections [OR] 0.77(95% CI, 0.59–1.00) p = 0.24; I(2)=29%). CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data suggested that asthma is not a significant risk factor for the development of severe COVID-19.