Introduction:
Asthma, along with inhaled
steroids, was initially considered a risk factor for worse clinical outcomes in
COVID-19. This was related to the higher morbidity observed in
asthma patients during previous viral outbreaks. This retrospective study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of
asthma among patients admitted due to
SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as the impact of inhaled
therapies on their outcomes. Furthermore, a comparison between patients with
asthma,
COPD and the general population was made. Methods: All
COVID-19 inpatients were recruited between February and July 2020 from four large hospitals in Northwest Italy. Data concerning medical history, the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the
hospital stay, including length, drugs and
COVID-19 complications (
respiratory failure, lung involvement, and the need for respiratory support) were collected, as well as the type of discharge. Results: patients with
asthma required high-flow
oxygen therapy (33.3 vs. 14.3%, p = 0.001) and invasive
mechanical ventilation (17.9 vs. 9.5%, p = 0.048) more frequently when compared to the general population, but no other difference was observed. Moreover,
asthma patients were generally younger than patients with
COPD (59.2 vs. 76.8 years, p < 0.001), they showed both a lower mortality rate (15.4 vs. 39.4%, p < 0.001) and a lower CCI (3.4 vs. 6.2, p < 0.001). Patients with
asthma in regular
therapy with ICS at home had significantly shorter
hospital stay compared to those with no treatments (25.2 vs. 11.3 days, p = 0.024). Discussion: Our study showed that
asthma is not associated with worse outcomes of
COVID-19, despite the higher need for respiratory support compared with the general population, while the use of ICS allowed for a shorter
hospital stay. In addition, the comparison of
asthma with
COPD patients confirmed the greater
frailty of the latter, according to their multiple comorbidities.