Title : Risk of COVID-19 infections among people with Asthma: A scoping review
Abstract:
Background: From 2019 to 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in approximately 676,504,785 cases and 6,773,773 deaths in 229 countries, areas, and territories worldwide. COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets, contact and air. Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects the airways and lungs, causing the airways to become inflamed and narrow, and is the most common chronic disease among children worldwide. Furthermore, over 80% of asthma-related deaths occur among lower to middle-income countries. Asthma affects people of all ages, with more than 339 million people living with the illness globally. Certain conditions have been associated with risk of developing asthma, including allergies, obesity, and respiratory infections, but little is known about the potential link between asthma and COVID-19.
Objective: In this study, we conducted a scoping review of the literature to determine if asthmatic patients were at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than non-asthmatics.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using keywords: COVID-19, Asthma, Asthmatic Patients, Respiratory infections, and Corona Virus, and search engine databases: PubMed, Google scholar, IDSA, WHO and American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Results: Among the 63 identified, 55 articles were screened, 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and included in this study.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that asthma is not an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness. In studies where poor outcomes were found among COVID-19 patients diagnosed with asthma, the use of inhaled corticosteroids was identified as the primary risk factor driving poor outcomes.
Recommendations: Future studies into asthmatic individuals and COVID-19 disease should be to understand the potential role of high dose corticosteroids in severe-COVID-19 disease risk among asthmatic patients.
Key words: COVID-19, Asthma, Asthmatic Patients, Respiratory infections, Corona Viruses.
