Early predictions about asthma and COVID-19 are wrong

[Mike 03]

KPLR (a St. Louis Fox affiliate)
by: Mandy Murphey

Posted: Apr 22, 2020 / 06:04 PM CDT / Updated: Apr 22, 2020 / 04:50 PM CDT

ST. LOUIS – Early studies are showing that asthma patients aren’t getting COVID-19 at a higher rate than someone without the breathing condition. At first, doctors warned that asthma patients were at greater risk because COVID-19 attacks the lungs. Turns out that is not the case.

Washington University School of Medicine Asthma and Allergy specialist Dr. James Wedner says data from China, Europe and the US shows asthma patients aren’t getting COVID-19 as much as expected. Around 8 to 12 percent of the population has asthma but less than 4 percent of COVID-19 patients are asthmatics. Researchers aren’t sure why, but likely because asthmatics are good at knowing what to do medically and are better at social distancing. The result is less exposure.

Heart disease, diabetes and obesity are morbidities to COVID-19. That means it is a chronic condition found to accompany a secondary chronic illness.

Very short article, no more at link: https://fox2now.com/kplr/early-predictions-about-asthma-and-covid-19-are-wrong/

[jimfields33]

1. Good grief. What a mess.

[Warpy]

2. This is looking less like a purely respiratory illness

although that's how it starts. It seems to be the coagulopathy that kills, not the pneumonia.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. Asking the wrong question

The question isn’t “do people with asthma get COVID at a higher rate than others?”, but rather “do people with asthma who get COVID have poorer outcomes/higher mortality rates than patients without asthma?”.

Critical thinking skills are indeed critical to sift through the morass of misinformation around this virus.