1. Eosinophilia in Asthma Patients Is Protective Against Severe COVID-19 Illness
- Author
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Sunit Jariwala, Golda Hudes, Elina Jerschow, Merhunisa Karagic, Manish Ramesh, David L. Rosenstreich, Denisa Ferastraoaru, and Gabriele de Vos
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,HTN, Hypertension ,TMPRSS2, Transmembrane protease serine 2 ,COPD, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ,03 medical and health sciences ,FEV1, Forced expiratory volume in 1 second ,0302 clinical medicine ,SARS-CoV-2, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 ,ED, Emergency department ,Internal medicine ,ACE2, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 ,Eosinophilia ,medicine ,Immunology and Allergy ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Mortality ,Asthma ,Inflammation ,COPD ,COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019 ,AEC, Absolute eosinophil count ,CHF, Congestive heart failure ,biology ,ICS, Inhaled corticosteroid ,business.industry ,CI, Confidence interval ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Mortality rate ,C-reactive protein ,COVID-19 ,Odds ratio ,respiratory system ,medicine.disease ,ICD, International Classification of Diseases ,CKD, Chronic kidney disease ,030228 respiratory system ,Heart failure ,biology.protein ,CRP, C-reactive protein ,Original Article ,medicine.symptom ,CLG, Clinical Looking Glass ,DM, Diabetes ,business ,Kidney disease ,OR, Odds ratio - Abstract
Background There is a paucity of information on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes in asthmatics. Objective To identify risk factors associated with admission and subsequent mortality among COVID-19–infected asthmatics. Methods Adults at our institution with a positive polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 between March 14 and April 27, 2020, were retrospectively identified. Comorbidities, laboratory results, and mortality rates during hospitalization were recorded. Results In total, 737 of 951 (77.5%) asthma patients with COVID-19 were seen in the emergency department (ED), and 78.8% of these ED patients (581 of 737) were admitted. Individuals with previously measured mean absolute eosinophil counts (AEC) ≥150 cells/μL were less likely to be admitted (odds ratio [OR] = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21-0.98, P = .04), whereas concomitant heart failure (CHF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were risk factors for admission. Hospitalized patients with asthma with peak hospital-measured AEC ≥150 cells/μL (n = 104) were less likely to die compared with those whose AEC remained
- Published
- 2021