Allergy and asthma in children and adolescents during the COVID outbreak: What we know and how we could prevent allergy and asthma flares

Abstract

Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. Allergy and asthma in children and adolescents during the COVID outbreak: What we know and how we could prevent allergy and asthma flaresTo the Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting people at any age with a more severe course in patients with chronic diseases or comorbidities, men, and elderly patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially proposed that patients with chronic lung diseases, including moderate-severe asthma, and allergy may have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 than otherwise healthy people ( https://www.cdc.gov/coron aviru s/2019-ncov/speci fic-group s/asthma.html ).Very few reports on pediatric patients with COVID-19 have been presented still now. Dong reported a nationwide case series of 2143 pediatric patients with COVID-19. 1 Children at all ages appeared susceptible to COVID-19, and without gender difference, symptoms were less severe than in adults, even though younger children, mainly infants, were vulnerable to infection. It has been, further, reported that infants and children usually developed mild respiratory symptoms, or they were likely asymptomatic. 2 After that, a study conducted in 140 hospitalized COVID-19 adult patients reported that no patient had asthma or allergy. 3 Another study, concerning 11 COVID-19 patients, reported two children with allergy, but no patient developed distinct symptoms and severe courses. 4 These last

Pediatric asthma and COVID‐19: The known, the unknown, and the controversial

“…While wearing a mask may create a subjective sensation of breathlessness, there is no evidence that wearing a face mask exacerbates any underlying lung condition including asthma 57 . The CDC recommends for everyone, but in particular children/adolescents with chronic diseases, measures of disease prevention including regular hand washing (with soap and water or alcohol‐based sanitizer), avoidance of people who are sick, physical distancing, avoidance of travel, and regular cleaning/disinfection of high‐touch surfaces 6 …”

Viruses and asthma: the role of common respiratory viruses in asthma and its potential meaning for SARS‐CoV‐2

“…Two studies that have analysed the prevalence of asthma in two cohorts of COVID‐19 patients in Wuhan, China have established such prevalence in 0−0·9% 41,45 . These results were further confirmed in study populations from other countries 46 . However, recent data from a large cohort of patients in the USA demonstrated that asthma was significantly linked to a longer duration of intubation in patients with COVID‐19 younger than 65 years 47 .…”

Consensus statement of the Italian society of pediatric allergy and immunology for the pragmatic management of children and adolescents with allergic or immunological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Therefore, COVID-19 seems to affect childhood and adolescence scarcely, as very recently demonstrated in Italy [88]. However, allergic and immunodeficient children and adolescents need adequate care in this period.…”