A major study shows children and adults with asthma, that is severe or poorly controlled, are at greater risk of hospitalization with COVID-19, according to a University of Edinburgh news release.
The research, from Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh, and the Office for National Statistics, also shows that children and adults with mild or well controlled asthma are not at an increased risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.
The study, published in the journal Thorax, is the biggest of its kind to examine the relationship between asthma and COVID-19 and it includes data on almost 80% of adults and more than 75% of 12-17-year-olds in England.
The researchers used anonymized information from the 2011 census of England combined with general practice data, hospital statistics and registered deaths between January 2020 and September 2021.
In adults, they found that people who were prescribed a low-dose steroid inhaler for asthma were no more likely to be hospitalized or die with COVID-19 than people who do not have asthma. However, adults who were taking a medium- or high-dose steroid inhaler were around 50% more likely to need hospital treatment for COVID-19, compared to people without asthma. They were also more likely to die of COVID-19.
Among children aged 12-17, the risk of needing hospital treatment for COVID-19 was more than doubled in those who had been prescribed a course of oral steroids for asthma. The risk was three to four times higher for children who had been prescribed two or more courses of oral steroids.
