A very contagious illness called COVID-19 is brought on by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. People with moderate to severe asthma who acquire COVID-19 may be at a higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms because the disease primarily affects the respiratory system.
Asthma sufferers might be worried about how COVID-19 would impact them. Controlling the condition and upholding persistent infection prevention practices are the greatest ways to lower the chance of contracting a serious illness from COVID-19.
Continue reading to find out more about how COVID-19 may influence an asthmatic, as well as what the hazards are and what people should do to protect themselves.
What impact does COVID-19 have on asthma sufferers?
Chronic pulmonary disease called asthma damages the airways and results in inflammation. Wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing are brought on by the spasms and narrowing of the airways brought on by this inflammation.
The body’s immune system often responds to an illness caused by a respiratory virus. This may result in an overproduction of chemicals in asthmatics, which only serves to exacerbate inflammation.
The COVID-19 is a little distinct. Instead of the typical bronchial inflammation that characterizes asthma, it results in an inflammatory process within the lung tissue.
COVID-19 and other respiratory viral infections can exacerbate and exacerbate asthma symptoms. In addition, it can result in pneumonia in those with moderate to severe asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, there is currently no proof that suggests those who have asthma are more prone than others to contract COVID-19.
For instance, no asthmatics were included in a 2020 study of 140 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China. This may mean that having asthma is not a significant risk factor for getting the infection.
Despite this, other coronavirus strains have been shown to exacerbate asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). Asthma sufferers should exercise particular caution as research is still in its early phases and there are little available data.
People with asthma may be more susceptible to COVID-19 problems than they are to other respiratory illnesses like the flu, according to the CDC, if they do get the virus.
