ABSTRACT
Background: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease, and respiratory viruses are well-known triggers for asthma exacerbations. The novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, can present with pulmonary symptoms. Several studies suggest that IL-13, an allergic asthma mediator, should prevent asthma exacerbations by SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical behavior of patients with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease, and respiratory viruses are well-known triggers for asthma exacerbations.The novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, can present with pulmonary symptoms.Several studies suggest that IL-13, an allergic asthma mediator, should prevent asthma exacerbations by SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical behavior of patients with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This was a retrospective study of electronic medical records of adult asthmatic patients, being followed up in a tertiary service and who received telephone calls for rescheduling the face-to-face consultations, during the COVID-19 pandemic period.Demographic data, asthma symptoms, frequency of atopy, presence of comorbidities and symptoms related to coronavirus infection were analyzed. Patients were classified according to their history of asthma attacks. Results: Two hundred and seven patients were included, and of them, 165 patients (79.7%) were female, with a mean age of 53.3 years and asthma duration of 35 years. Atopy was confirmed in 156 patients (81.7%). The main comorbidities were obesity (32.9%), high blood pressure (47.3%), diabetes mellitus (17.4%) and emotional stress (68.1%). Of the total, 87 patients (42%) had acute symptoms, of which 20 (9.7%) sought emergency care and 15 of 20 patients (75%) were investigated for Covid-19, all of which were negative. Of the total, only 7 patients (3.4%) exacerbated and required systemic corticosteroids. During this study, the more frequent complaints among asthmatic patients with acute respiratory symptoms were dyspnea, cough, asthenia and headache when compared to those without a crisis (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study found that asthmatic patients had a low prevalence of asthma exacerbation during the coronavirus pandemic period. Patients with acute symptoms may have been underdiagnosed for COVID-19, due to the low demand for emergency care. Previous atopy may act as a protective factor for COVID-19 in asthmatic patients.