09 May Journal Review: “Asthma and COVID-19 risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis”
The COVID19 pandemic has caused a health scare for many individuals with existing conditions. A recent article published by the European Respiratory Journal reports on a systematic review and meta-analysis of the vulnerability of COVID19 infection and hospitalisation rates for people with asthma. Asthmatic and non-asthmatic (control) groups were analysed across five data bases which included the WHO-COVID19 database where meta-analyses were conducted for prevalence and risk ratios within the populations.
The study contained a limited population of patients who had been previously diagnosed with asthma and who tested positive with a PCR. Of the 1000 articles selected for full-print analysis, 949 were rejected from the data base. Populations were also rejected from this analysis depending on population size, time, location and language. Information was included based on relevance and consensus of the study team, no board approval was utilised. Analysis of included populations was conducted based on confidence and weighted average scales (Newcastle – Ottawa).
The articles presented a risk ratio reduction of 17% in acquiring COVID-19 for those with asthma (0.83 with 95% confidence). Older age was associated with a higher chance of contracting the virus, smoking played no statistical value in the populations. There was no significant difference in hospitalisations or ICU admissions for asthmatics who contracted the virus although ventilator usage increase was noticed. Hypertension and diabetes were notable comorbidities.
The article concludes by stating that the fast mutation of the COVID19 virus must be monitored and the community effort maintained in response to the pandemic. The article states that further studies are still required, given the smaller population size and limited data available. This article does not consider the lasting effects of COVID19 infections due to the early-to-mid pandemic data. A possible reason for the lower infection rates for asthmatics may simply be down to the vigilance and awareness of respiratory health in these individuals.
Anthony P. Sunjaya, Sabine M. Allida, Gian Luca Di Tanna, Christine R. Jenkins. (2022). Asthma and COVID-19 risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Respiratory Journal Mar 2022, 59 (3) 2101209; DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01209-2021. https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/59/3/2101209.abstract