Comorbidity defines risk of asthmatics for COVID-19 hospitalization: a
global perspective
Abstract
Background: The global epidemiology of asthma among COVID-19
patients presents striking geographic differences defining high and low
[asthma and COVID-19] co-occurrence prevalence zones (1). The
objective of the present study was to compare asthma prevalence among
hospitalized COVID-19 patients in major global hubs across the world
with the application of common inclusion criteria and definitions.
Methods: We built a network of six academic hospitals in
Stanford (Stanford University)/USA, Frankfurt (Goethe University),
Giessen (Justus Liebig University) and Marburg (Philipps
University)/Germany, and Moscow (Clinical Hospital 52 in collaboration
with Sechenov University)/Russia. We collected clinical and laboratory
data for patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. Comorbidities reported
were based on the 2020 International Classification of Diseases-10th
Revision codes. Results: Asthmatics were overrepresented among
hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Stanford and underrepresented in
Moscow and Germany as compared to the prevalence among adults in the
local community. Asthma prevalence was similar among ICU and hospital
non-ICU patients, which implied that the risk for developing severe
COVID-19 was not higher among asthmatics. The number of males and
comorbidities was higher among COVID-19 patients in the Stanford cohort,
and the most frequent comorbidities among these asthma patients were
other chronic inflammatory airway disorders such as chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD). Conclusion: Observed disparity in
COVID-19-associated risk among asthmatics across countries and
continents is connected to varying prevalence of underlying
comorbidities, particularly COPD. Public health policies in the future
will need to consider comorbidities with an emphasis on COPD for
prioritization of vaccination and preemptive treatment.