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December 27, 2021
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This year’s top 10 COVID-19 stories in allergy/asthma care

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COVID-19 dominated 2021, as patients and providers balanced its treatment and prevention against their allergy and asthma needs.

Healio reported on the impact of the pandemic across specialties. Here is a compilation of the top 10 COVID-19 stories impacting allergy and asthma care from the year.

Jessica Grayson

Chronic rhinosinusitis and viral infections like COVID-19 can share similar symptoms. Jessica Grayson, MD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains what physicians should look to differentiate patients who may present with these symptoms. Read more.

People with hay fever, rhinitis, atopic eczema and other allergic conditions had a lower risk for developing COVID-19, particularly if they also had asthma, according to Adrian R. Marineau, BMedSci, DTM&H, MRCP, PhD, FRSB, of London School of Medicine, and colleagues. Read more.

Most patients who had allergic reactions to the first COVID-19 vaccine received the second dose safely, Anna R. Wolfson, MD, of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues found. Read more.

Allergists and immunologists can lead the fight against COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by communicating clearly with their patients and engaging them in an active dialogue of shared decision-making, Joseph A. Bellanti, MD, director of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology at Georgetown University Medical Center, said at Eastern Allergy Conference. Read more.

Emma Guttman-Yassky

Dupilumab (Dupixent; Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme) treatment for atopic dermatitis may mitigate COVID-19 symptoms, as it inhibits cytokines and modulates the Th2 pathway without affecting Th1 signaling to attenuate viral responses, according to Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues. Read more.

Active asthma and COPD may increase risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes including hospitalization, intensive respiratory support and ICU admissions. Read more.

Patients with penicillin allergy are at higher risk for worse COVID-19 outcomes such as hospitalization, ICU requirements, acute respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation. Read more.

COVID-19 revaccination after an allergic reaction is safe after diagnostic workups to assess for drug excipient allergy, according to researchers from the Odense Research Centre for Anaphylaxis at Odense University Hospital in Denmark. Read more.

COVID-19 mortality risks appeared greater among patients with primary immunodeficiency, with a 7.69% mortality rate compared to the 0.97% infection mortality rate among the general population. Read more.

Asthma presents hospitalization risks, but not worse outcomes, for children with COVID-19, as physicians appear to admit these patients due to an abundance of caution, Erick Forno, MD MPH, ATSF, director of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Pediatric Asthma Center, told Healio. Read more.