Everyone agrees about the good news — folks whose asthma is spurred on by allergies don’t appear to have an increased risk of life-threatening illness if they contract COVID-19. “Asthma has not risen as one of the top comorbid diseases for worse COVID-19 outcomes,” said Dr. Sandhya Khurana, director of the Mary Parkes Center for…
After stay-at-home orders were issued this spring because of COVID-19, doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia noticed a dramatic drop in the number of patients who were being admitted for asthma emergencies or seeing their doctors for outpatient visits. In a new study, doctors there noted the drops were significant: the hospital and its care…
New findings suggest differing chronic lung diseases are associated with varying risk factors among COVID-19 patients. A pre-print article from a team of investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School highlight the important of distinguishing asthma from chronic pulmonary conditions in interpreting patient risks due to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The findings, which…
However, study finds allergic asthma did not significantly increase the risk of severe illness. Adults with asthma who became infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were at higher risk of developing severe illness compared with adults who did not have asthma, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School…
Data from digital inhalers reveals an increased use of rescue inhalers for asthma symptoms due to short-term exposure to ozone, even below the ozone level set by the EPA. New data from digital inhalers confirms that exposure to the air pollutant ozone is strongly linked to increased use of inhaled medications for asthma symptoms, according…
In adults in the United States, sex hormones play a role in gender differences in asthma, and obesity modifies the effects of these hormones, according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Elevated levels of free testosterone in serum are associated with reduced odds of asthma in women, elevated…
Steroid inhalers commonly used to prevent asthma attacks may not work any better than a placebo for many people with mild asthma, according to recent research. Synthetic corticosteroids mimic the steroid hormone cortisol, reducing inflammation in the airways. But the drug targets a type of inflammation that may be found in far fewer patients than…
Parents who smoke cigarettes put their children and others around them at risk for bronchitis, pneumonia and a variety of other ailments. But a new study offers another method to help them quit lighting up. Researchers tested a smoking cessation program in five states in the South and the Midwest, finding it had success in…