A SARS-CoV-2 infection is not one of the risk factors for the development of asthma. This has now been shown by a study.
Question: What influence does a SARS-CoV-2 infection have on the risk of developing asthma in children and adolescents?
Method: Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia included more than 27,400 patients (1-16 years) in a study. They were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using PCR between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, and followed up over a period of 18 months.
Results: A positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 (n = 3,147; 11.5%) had no significant impact on the likelihood of a new asthma diagnosis. Known risk factors in children for the development of asthma such as black skin color (HR: 1.49; p = 0.004), food allergies (HR: 1.26; p = 0.025) and allergic rhinitis (HR: 2.30; p
Clinical significance: Chronic asthma is primarily mediated by type 2 inflammation, which is characterized by IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eosinophilia. Pathophysiological processes during SARS-CoV-2 infection appear to have little influence on this.
Special features: Neither the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection was taken into account, nor was a distinction made between asymptomatic and symptomatic children and between people with mild, moderate or severe symptoms.
Senter J P, Aisenberg L K, Dudley J W et al. COVID-19 and Asthma Onset in Children. Pediatrics 2024; 153 (5); doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-064615
