BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide. However, the effects of asthma, asthma medication, and asthma severity on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 have not yet been established. METHODS: The study included 7590 de-identified patients, who were confirmed to have COVID-19 using the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 RNA–polymerase chain reaction tests conducted up to 15th May 2020; and we used the linked-medical claims data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Asthma and asthma severity (step suggested by GINA) was defined using the diagnostic code and history of asthma medication usage. RESULTS: Among 7590 COVID-19 patients, 218 (2.9%) had underlying asthma. The total medical cost associated with COVID-19 patients with underlying asthma was significantly higher than that of other patients. Mortality rate for COVID-19 patients with underlying asthma (7.8%) was significantly higher than that of other patients (2.8%; p<0.001). However, asthma was not an independent risk factor for the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 after adjustment. Asthma medication use and asthma severity also did not affect the clinical outcomes of COVID-19. However, use of oral short-acting β(2)-agonists (SABA) was an independent factor to increase the total medical cost burden. Patients with step 5 asthma showed significant prolonged admission duration than those with step 1 asthma in both univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma led to poor outcomes of COVID-19; however, underlying asthma, use of asthma medication, and asthma severity were not independent factors for poor clinical outcomes of COVID-19, generally.
Effect of Asthma and Asthma Medication on the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19