Asthma is not a risk factor for the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in
the Mexican population
Abstract
Background. Asthma does not seem to confer a risk for developing a
disease caused by 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The aim of this
study was to assess the association between asthma and severity of
COVID-19 in the Mexican population. Methods. In a cross-sectional study,
we analyzed the data of the population in Mexico who underwent a test to
detect COVID-19 from February 27 to June 21, 2020. The primary outcomes
were hospitalization, pneumonia, endotracheal intubation, and death
related to COVID-19 in patients with asthma. Results. Asthma was
associated with a lower risk of hospitalization (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.66
to 0.76), lower risk of pneumonia (OR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.81), and
lower risk of endotracheal intubation (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.98).
In addition, asthma decreased the risk of dying from COVID-19 (OR =
0.73, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.82). In a subgroup analysis, the same trend was
observed in patients who required hospitalization (OR = 0.79, 95% CI
0.69 to 0.90); while in non-hospitalized patients, associations were
inconsistent according to the covariates introduced to the models. There
was no association between asthma and death in patients admitted to the
intensive care unit (ICU); however, in hospitalized patients who did not
require ICU management, asthma significantly reduced the risk of dying.
Conclusion. Our results suggest that compared to patients without
asthma, patients with asthma are less likely to require hospitalization,
develop pneumonia, be intubated endotracheally, or die from COVID-19.