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COVID-19 in Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) patients: clinical features, impact of comorbidities and treatments
  • +14
  • Enrico Heffler,
  • Caterina Detoraki,
  • Marco Contoli,
  • Alberto Papi,
  • Giovanni Paoletti,
  • Giacomo Malipiero,
  • Luisa Brussino,
  • Claudia Crimi,
  • Daniela Morrone,
  • Marianna Padovani,
  • Giuseppe Guida,
  • Alberto Giovanni Gerli,
  • stefano centanni,
  • Gianenrico Senna,
  • Pierluigi Paggiaro,
  • Francesco Blasi,
  • Giorgio Walter Canonica
Enrico Heffler
Humanitas University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Caterina Detoraki
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Marco Contoli
University of Ferrara
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Alberto Papi
University of Ferrara
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Giovanni Paoletti
Humanitas Clinical and Research Center
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Giacomo Malipiero
Humanitas Clinical and Research Hospital, IRCCS
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Luisa Brussino
University of Torino & AO Mauriziano
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Claudia Crimi
University of Catania - AOU "Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele"
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Daniela Morrone
Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) infrastructure
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Marianna Padovani
University of Ferrara
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Giuseppe Guida
Azienda Ospedaliera S Croce e Carle Cuneo
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Alberto Giovanni Gerli
2. Management Engineering Tourbillon Tech srl
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stefano centanni
University of Milan
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Gianenrico Senna
Verona University Hospital
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Pierluigi Paggiaro
University of Pisa
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Francesco Blasi
UniversitĂ  degli Studi di Milano, IRCCS Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore CĂ  Granda, Milan
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Giorgio Walter Canonica
Humanitas Clinical and Research Center
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting almost the entire world since February 2020. Patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease potentially and theoretically may be more vulnerable and therefore seriously ill if infected by SARS-CoV-2; however, according to the first epidemiological studies published so far, chronic pulmonary diseases are under-reported. No data is available, so far, about the incidence of COVID-19 in severe asthmatics and about which are the COVID-19 outcomes in this subgroup of patients. METHODS:: In this study, we investigated the incidence of COVID-19 cases in a large population of severe asthmatics in Italy, describing their clinical characteristics and clinical course of COVID-19 disease. RESULTS: Twenty-six (1.73%) out of 1504 severe asthmatics were identified as confirmed or highly suspect with COVID-19. Nine (34.6%) of infected patients experienced worsening of asthma during the COVID-19 symptomatic period. Severe asthmatics affected by COVID-19, compared to those who did not contracted the infection, had a significantly higher prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (15.4% vs 3.8%, p=0.002); among COVID-19 patients the proportion of those treated anti-IL5 biologic agents was higher (71%) compared to the number of patients treated with anti-IgE (29%). CONCLUSIONS: In our large cohort of severe asthmatics, the incidence of COVID-19 was particularly low, with higher prevalence of NIDDM as comorbidity, suggesting that NIDDM might be a risk factor for COVID-19 in severe asthmatics.
01 Aug 2020Published in Allergy. 10.1111/all.14532