With or without allergies, outcomes similar for hospitalized patients with COVID-19

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/acoa-wow110420.php

 

News Release 13-Nov-2020
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology


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"We examined the charts of 275 patients admitted to the hospital who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus for any history of allergic disease," said allergist Dylan Timberlake, MD, ACAAI member and lead author of the study. "Over the two-month period when we examined the charts, we found the severity of disease didn't seem to differ between COVID-19 patients with allergies, versus COVID-19 patients without allergies."

Factors considered to determine severity of disease included ICU admission, length of stay, supplemental oxygen requirement and intubation rate.

"In looking at the outcomes for patients based on allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, and food allergy, we didn't find significant differences in the numbers of interventions needed for those with allergies versus those without when it came to COVID-19," says allergist Mitchell Grayson, MD, ACAAI member and co-author of the study. "For example, with regard to ICU admission, 43% of those with allergic disease were admitted versus 45% without. And 79% of those with allergy needed supplemental oxygen versus 74% of those without."

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