On July 1, 2020, the American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology updated its information sheet on Caring for Pregnant Patients with Asthma During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The authors explain that “Few data exist to indicate that having asthma is associated with an increased risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 or a more severe course in the non-pregnant infected patient. Recent reassuring data show that having asthma was not associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or even mortality in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. There are even fewer data for pregnant asthmatic women with COVID-19.” Current recommendations emphasize the need to maintain asthma control during pregnancy. Reducing controller therapy could put pregnant women with asthma at increased risk of an asthma exacerbation necessitating medical care, which could then put them at an increased risk of being exposed to COVID-19.
Questions addressed in this information sheet include:
- Is timing of delivery affected by COVID-19?
- Does COVID-19 present an increased risk of adverse perinatal and fetal outcomes?
- Is breastfeeding safe during COVID-19 infection?
- Are there ongoing studies to which pregnant women could be referred?