Latino Patients With Asthma Have Longer Exacerbations Post-COVID-19

Latino patients with asthma who developed COVID-19 experience a longer duration of asthma exacerbation post-COVID compared with non-Latino patients, according to research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, held in New Orleans from November 4 to 8, 2021.

The study enrolled 174 patients with COVID-19 and history of asthma, including 23 Latino patients, 44 Black patients, and 111 White patients. These patients were evaluated at a single university medical center between February and April 2020. Patients were followed for a mean of 6.8 months. The investigators used logistic regression to compare post-infection asthma-related outcomes based on race/ethnicity. Analyses were adjusted for patient demographics, allergic rhinitis status, as well as inhaled corticosteroid uses.

Latino patients studied had a significantly higher odds of asthma exacerbation after COVID-19 compared with Black patients (odds ratio [OR], 4.6) and White patients (OR, 2.9) (P <.05). Latino patients also had a significantly greater duration of asthma exacerbation symptoms (mean, 3.2 weeks) vs non-Latino White patients (mean, 1.59 weeks) and non-Latino Black patients (mean, 1.4 weeks) (P =.021).

There was no difference between racial/ethnic groups in regard to the likelihood of initiating steroids for exacerbation relief or starting asthma step-up therapy. All groups had a comparable number of asthma-related provider visits (eg, clinic, emergency, or telehealth). The mean total visits per patient for exacerbation-related concerns was 1.9.

The investigators concluded that Latino patients “experienced longer durations of asthma exacerbation following COVID-19 infection compared to non-Latinos, indicative of increased susceptibility of asthmatic Latino patients to prolonged respiratory inflammation after SARS-COV and/or other respiratory viruses, even in light of equal care utilization, and warrants further investigation.”

Disclosure: Multiple authors declared affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry. Please refer to the original article for a full list of disclosures.

Reference

Foster K, Jaswaney R, Moore D, Andy-Nweye A, Mahdavinia M. Latinos experience longer duration of uncontrolled asthma after COVID infection. Presented at: the ACAAI Annual Meeting; November 4-8, 2021. Abstract A032.

This article originally appeared on Pulmonology Advisor