Asthma and allergy practice and COVID­19: a review. Part I

Abstract

According to the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients with asthma and allergies are at particular risk during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The aggressive SARS-CoV-2 virus mainly infects the lungs, most patients with asthma have an increased risk of infection and are likely to have a potentially more severe course of COVID-19.The purpose of the analysis presented in this paper is to assess and forecast the prospects for establishing control over asthma and allergic diseases in a pandemic COVID-19.According to the IPCRG, patients with asthma may not always be able to differentiate between asthma attacks and COVID-19 infection due to the similarity of respiratory symptoms. This leads to untimely care for SARS-CoV-2 and/or discontinuation of asthma treatment, which can have serious consequences. An important problem for practitioners is that patients with bronchoobstruction and allergy syndrome are often afraid of the risk of seeking medical attention during a COVID-19 pandemic and may confuse allergic symptoms with symptoms of coronavirus infection.The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has identified algorithms for providing non-COVID-19 care during a pandemic: to quickly detect and respond to an increase in COVID-19 cases among patients with asthma; provide assistance in the safest way; keep in mind that services may need to be gradually expanded.