Published on July 8, 2020, in the journal Nature, authors Elizabeth J. Williamson et al, reviewed results of the largest cohort study conducted by any country to date. They looked at risk factors connected to 10,926 COVID-19 deaths in the UK. They found that “COVID-19-related death was associated with: being male…; older age and deprivation (both with a strong gradient); diabetes; severe asthma; and various other medical conditions.” As explained by the COVID-19 Response Task Force of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the study results suggested that asthma patients who had received oral steroids (OCS) in the past year also had increased mortality. They state, “However, when the data were limited to those in whom BMI, smoking history, and ethnicity were known (and, thus, could be controlled for), asthma with or without OCS use did not demonstrate a significant increased risk for death from COVID-19. Therefore, even with this paper, the preponderance of published data continues to demonstrate no increased severity or mortality with COVID-19 in asthma patients.”
