Asthma doesn't seem to increase COVID-19 risk: Study pta raise Coronavirus awareness on streets of Raipur

Asthma doesn't seem to increase COVID-19 risk: Study pta raise Coronavirus awareness on streets of Raipur

According to a new study by the team of researchers from Rutgers, asthma does not appear to increase the risk for a person contracting COVID-19 or influence its severity.

The recent research was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

According to Reynold A Panettieri Jr, a pulmonary critical care physician and director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science and co-author of the paper, Panettieri discusses what we know about asthma and inflammation and the important questions that still need to be answered.

Since the news has focused our attention on the effects of COVID-19 on people in vulnerable populations, those with asthma may become hyper-vigilant about personal hygiene and social distancing.

Social distancing could improve asthma control since people who are self-quarantined are also not as exposed to seasonal triggers that include allergens or respiratory viruses.

There is also evidence that people are being more attentive to taking their asthma medication during the pandemic, which can contribute to overall health.

Inhaled corticosteroids, which are commonly used to protect against asthma attacks, also may reduce the ability of the virus to establish an infection.

However, studies have shown that steroids may decrease the body's immune response and worsen the inflammatory response.

Steroids also have been shown to delay the clearing of the SARS and MERS virus -- similar to SARS-CoV-2- from the respiratory tract and thus may worsen COVID-19 outcomes.Future studies should address whether inhaled steroids in patients with asthma or allergies increase or decrease the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether these effects are different depending on the steroid type.

However, older people with asthma who also have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease may have similar instances of COVID-19 as non-asthmatics with those conditions.