Asthma Patients Less Likely To Die From Coronavirus, Say US Researchers

Those who suffer from asthma can breathe a sigh of relief in these stressful times.

Contrary to perception, a recent study has found that asthma patients who contract coronavirus are less likely to die from the disease. They don’t have a higher risk of hospitalization or need for mechanical breathing assistance compared to COVID-19 patients without asthma.

Researchers at a Boston healthcare system studied 562 asthma patients who tested COVID positive and 2,686 similarly-aged COVID patients who don’t suffer from asthma, the Hindustan Times reported.

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%).

The researchers stated that the asthma patients were 70% less likely to die from the virus. None of the 44 patients with severe asthma succumbed to the virus.

“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.