Asthma and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in a community setting

Abstract

ObjectivesThe association between asthma and COVID-19 mortality remains inconclusive. We examined the association between asthma and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19. Study designA case–control study based on a surveillance cohort in Harris County, Texas. MethodsUsing the data of 21,765 patients who reported having at least one chronic health condition, we investigated the association between asthma and COVID-19 severity, characterized primarily by hospitalization and death. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the multivariable odds ratio (mOR) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI) of COVID-19 severity associated with asthma and other chronic lung diseases, adjusting for demographic and other comorbidities. A P-value < 0.005 was considered statistically significant after correcting multiple testing. ResultsIn total, 3034 patients (13.9 %) had asthma, and 774 (3.56 %) had other chronic lung diseases. The case death rate among patients with asthma and other chronic lung diseases was 0.75 % and 19.0 %, respectively. Compared to patients without the respective conditions, patients with asthma had lower odds of death (mOR = 0.44, 95 % CI: 0.27–0.69), while patients with other chronic lung diseases had higher odds of hospitalization (mOR = 2.02, 95 % CI: 1.68–2.42) and death (mOR = 1.95, 95 % CI: 1.52–2.49) (P-values < 0.005). Risk factors for COVID-19 mortality included older age, male gender, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, active cancer, and chronic kidney disease. ConclusionsThe public health surveillance data suggested that preexisting asthma was inversely associated with COVID-19 mortality.