Updates on Children with Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

Giulia Brindisi,Giovanna De Castro,Alessandra Gori,Ettore Cicinelli,Elia Pignataro,Caterina Anania,Valentina De Vittori,Rosalba De Nola,Bianca Cinicola,Anna Maria Zicari

doi:10.3390/jcm10112278

Abstract

Background: During the lockdown period caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we monitored via online survey the trend of allergic symptoms and the therapeutic compliance in patients followed at our center. Material and methods: In June 2020, we selected children followed at the Allergy and Immunology Service of Umberto I Hospital, aged between 6 and 16 years old, diagnosed with asthma and/or rhinitis and sensitized to grass pollen or dust mite. We sent an email with 12 multiple-choice questions investigating several areas: type of disease and sensitization, recurrence of symptoms, medication use during lockdown compared to the same period of the previous year. Results: The results of 82 questionnaires showed that 17.8% of patients suffered from asthma, 24.4% from rhinitis, and 57.8% from both. Within the group of asthmatic children, most of them presented an improvement of their symptoms. Likewise, with regard to allergic rhinitis, most of them reported better clinical conditions. Regarding treatment, we observed a global decrease in the use of on-demand therapies (salbutamol, nasal corticosteroid, and antihistamine) for both pathologies. In addition, there was a reduction in the use of basal therapy for asthma and rhinitis from 2019 (23.3%) to 2020 (15.5%). Conclusions: Our data show a general trend of clinical improvement and a reduction in the use of on-demand and basal therapy in allergic children during the lockdown.

Highlights

Since December 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread worldwide; onMarch 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic [1]
Regarding all the susceptibility factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, Du H et al studied a cohort of 182 children suffering from COVID-19 and did not report any difference between allergic and nonallergic children, arguing that allergy is not a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection [9]
Among all the examined children, 17.8% suffered from asthma, 24.4% from rhinitis, and 57.8% from both asthma and rhinitis

Summary

Introduction

Since December 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread worldwide; onMarch 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic [1]. Since December 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread worldwide; on. Of all these cases, 3,668,264 were reported in Italy, one of the most affected countries, which has counted 111,070 deaths so far [2]. SARS-CoV-2 infection in children is less common, often spreads within family clusters, and manifests with mild and varied symptoms [4,5] such as fever, nasal congestion, cough, dyspnea, myalgia, arthralgia, headache, gastrointestinal, and skin manifestations with the characteristic anosmia and ageusia [6,7]. During the lockdown period caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we monitored via online survey the trend of allergic symptoms and the therapeutic compliance in patients followed at our center. There was a reduction in the use of basal therapy for asthma and rhinitis from

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