Effect of Asthma and Asthma Medication on the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19.

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 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.