Samuel Case, FISM News

[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]

A new study suggests patients with asthma who become infected with the new coronavirus appear to have no higher risk of hospitalization or need for mechanical breathing assistance compared to COVID-19 patients without asthma. Not only does there appear to be no greater risk, but the study actually shows asthma patients are less likely to die from the disease.  

Researchers at a Boston healthcare system studied 562 asthma patients with COVID-19 and 2,686 similarly-aged COVID-19 patients without asthma. The two groups were hospitalized at similar rates (18% to 21%) and had similar need for mechanical ventilation (3% in the asthma group vs 4%). But researchers reported the asthma patients were 70% less likely to die and none of the 44 patients with severe asthma died. “Although the factors underlying these findings are not yet known, important considerations include: possible biologic mechanisms … and possible protective effects of asthma medications (such as corticosteroids),” the researchers said in a report posted ahead of peer review.

Sourced from Reuters American Wire, edited for brevity.