Asthma patients show lower risk of contracting COVID-19, reveals recent study

New Delhi: As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to grow and grip millions across the world, the question of its susceptibility still looms. Amidst several studies, one recent research reveals that people with asthma may be at reduced risk of contracting COVID-19.

However, researchers believe that further study is required for the matter.

Authors of the study, published on November 24 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said, "We observed lower susceptibility in patients with preexisting asthma", stressing that COVID-19 virus is less likely to attack asthma patients. 

The research was aimed at observing COVID-19 susceptibility in patients with bronchial asthma. The researchers used data from a large nationwide health maintenance organisation in Israel.

It included the Jewish and Arab population of Israel.

A total of 37,469 participants were tested for COVID-19 using RT-PCR tests. 2,266 of them tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The number of asthma patients was more in the COVID-19 negative group (3388) than in the positive group (153).

"All health maintenance organisation enrollees who had been tested for COVID-19 from February to June 2020 were included. Asthma was found in 153 (6.75%) subjects of the COVID-19 positive group and 3388 (9.62) subjects of the COVID-19 negative group," said the study.

Eugene Merzon, one of the research leaders, spoke about the loopholes. He said that there are possibilities that asthmatics may take more precautions thinking to be more at risk of severe cases of the virus.

However, further study is required in this case as the research was based on "inpatient data" (only hospitalised), the report quoted researchers saying, "The prevalence of asthma may be different in outpatient patients with COVID-19"

Moreover, the study also revealed that "a significantly higher proportion of smokers was observed in the COVID-19 negative group than in the COVID-19 positive group."

A new study published on Monday also says that novel coronavirus may enter the human brain through the nose.

This finding may help explain some of the neurological symptoms observed in COVID-19 patient and inform diagnosis and measures to prevent infection.

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