Asthma prevalence in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection detected by RT-PCR not requiring hospitalization.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of asthma in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 has been studied and varies widely in the different series. However, the prevalence in SARS-infected patients not requiring hospitalization is not known. The objective of this study was to analyze the presence of asthma in a consecutive series of patients who tested positive in the RT-PCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 and did not require hospital admission. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 218 patients (58% of those who tested positive) did not require hospitalization; they had a median age of 45 years (IQR 34-57) and 57% were female. Six patients (2.8%) had a previous diagnosis of asthma. Only one patient developed a mild aggravation of asthma symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: Few patients with asthma were infected by SARS-CoV-2, and this infection was not a significant cause of asthma exacerbation.