Patients with asthma have more favorable COVID-19 outcomes in inner-city population

SAN ANTONIO — Patients with asthma in an inner-city population had more favorable COVID-19 outcomes than patients who did not have asthma, according to data presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting.

“Few studies have examined COVID-19 infection specifically in inner-city patients with asthma,” Mydalyn D. Beronilla, MPH, clinical research specialist with the Montefiore Health System, said during her presentation.

The retrospective study examined the COVID-19 outcomes of 2,373 adults with asthma treated in the allergy and immunology clinics of Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. COVID-19 status was available for 972 (41%) of these patients, with 221 (23%; 87% women; mean age, 52 years; standard deviation [SD], 15.8) deemed positive.

“COVID-19 status was established via positive [polymerase chain reaction] or by possessing positive COVID-19 antibodies,” Beronilla said.

Also, 155 (72%) of the 216 patients who had skin testing data were atopic. These patients had a mean age of 51 years. Asthma severities ranged from mild (n = 57; 37%) to moderate (n = 64; 41%) and severe (n = 34; 22%).

Asthma severities among the 61 (91% women; mean age, 52 years) patients with nonatopic asthma ranged from mild (n = 32; 52%) to moderate (n = 23; 38%) and severe (n = 6; 10%).

The researchers additionally evaluated 11,224 patients (54% women; mean age, 55 years; SD, 18.2) with COVID-19 who did not have asthma or COPD, including 3,337 (30%) who were hospitalized, of which 1,053 (32%) died.

In contrast, 26 (12%) of the patients with asthma and COVID-19 were hospitalized, and three (12%) of those who were hospitalized died.

“The overall mortality rate among non-asthma, non-COPD patients was 9.4% vs. a rate of just 1.4% in the asthma cohort,” Beronilla said.

More specifically, 14 (9%) of the 155 patients with atopic asthma required hospitalization compared with 12 (20%) of the 61 patients who had nonatopic asthma. Two (14%) of the patients with atopic asthma who were hospitalized and one (8%) of the patients with nonatopic asthma who were hospitalized died.

“Death rate was slightly higher in the atopic group, but overall numbers were small, thus making it difficult to draw conclusions,” Beronilla said.

These findings indicate more favorable outcomes among patients with asthma in the inner city, with lower hospitalization rates particularly for patients with atopic asthma, compared with patients who do not have asthma or COPD.