Make Sure Parents Know Kids with Asthma May Be Especially Vulnerable with COVID-19

While patients with asthma were not found to be at greater risk for COVID-19 or poor outcomes with the virus early on in the pandemic, it now appears that children with asthma are more likely to wind up in the hospital if they become infected. In fact, according to an article published in MedPage Today, a retrospective study of approximately 750,000 children (5 to 17 years of age) in Scotland showed a greater than sixfold increase of risk for hospitalization with asthma and COVID-19 compared with those who did not have asthma. Of note, children with well-controlled asthma were at much lower risk (HR 1.36). The message is twofold: Ensure parents are aware that it is essential to help their children control their asthma, and that the best way to avoid COVID-19 infection is through vaccination. The study on which the MedPage Today article was based was originally published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine.