A new research letter published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines whether asthma is a significant risk factor for developing COVID-19 that is severe enough to warrant hospitalization and intubation.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals with asthma are at higher risk for hospitalization and other severe effects from COVID-19, similar to the elevated risk from such health conditions as obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

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In “Asthma in COVID-19 Hospitalizations: An Overestimated Risk Factor?,” Fernando Holguin, MD, MPH, and co-authors compared the prevalence of asthma among patients hospitalized for COVID-19, as reported in 15 peer-reviewed studies, with that of the corresponding population’s asthma prevalence. They also correlated the study’s asthma prevalence with the four-year average asthma prevalence in influenza hospitalizations in the United States. In addition, they analyzed the medical records of 436 COVID-19 patients admitted to the University of Colorado Hospital to evaluate the likelihood that patients with asthma would be intubated more often than patients without asthma.

“The CDC places people with asthma at higher risk for COVID-related hospitalization,” said Dr. Holguin, professor, Asthma Clinical & Research Program, Pulmonary Division, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  “However, many international studies show low numbers of asthmatics among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. These findings challenge the assumption about asthma as a risk factor.”