Skip to main content

Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Rao, S; Hurst, JH; Zhao, C; Goldstein, BA; Thomas, L; Lang, JE; Kelly, MS
Published in: Pediatrics
June 1, 2022

OBJECTIVES: Over 6 million pediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have occurred in the United States, but risk factors for infection remain poorly defined. We sought to evaluate the association between asthma and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children 5 to 17 years of age receiving care through the Duke University Health System and who had a Durham County, North Carolina residential address. Children were classified as having asthma using previously validated electronic health record-based definitions. SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified based on positive polymerase chain reaction testing of respiratory samples collected between March 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. We matched children with asthma 1:1 to children without asthma, using propensity scores and used Poisson regression to evaluate the association between asthma and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk. RESULTS: Of 46 900 children, 6324 (13.5%) met criteria for asthma. Children with asthma were more likely to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection than children without asthma (33.0% vs 20.9%, P < .0001). In a propensity score-matched cohort of 12 648 children, 706 (5.6%) children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 350 (2.8%) children with asthma and 356 (2.8%) children without asthma (risk ratio: 0.98, 95% confidence interval: 0.85-1.13. There was no evidence of effect modification of this association by inhaled corticosteroid prescription, history of severe exacerbation, or comorbid atopic diseases. Only 1 child with asthma required hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 testing, we found that children with asthma have a similar SARS-CoV-2 infection risk as children without asthma.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Pediatrics

DOI

EISSN

1098-4275

Publication Date

June 1, 2022

Volume

149

Issue

6

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Pediatrics
  • Humans
  • Child
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • COVID-19
  • Asthma
  • Adolescent
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Rao, S., Hurst, J. H., Zhao, C., Goldstein, B. A., Thomas, L., Lang, J. E., & Kelly, M. S. (2022). Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 149(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-056164
Rao, Saahithi, Jillian H. Hurst, Congwen Zhao, Benjamin A. Goldstein, Laine Thomas, Jason E. Lang, and Matthew S. Kelly. “Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents.Pediatrics 149, no. 6 (June 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-056164.
Rao S, Hurst JH, Zhao C, Goldstein BA, Thomas L, Lang JE, et al. Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2022 Jun 1;149(6).
Rao, Saahithi, et al. “Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents.Pediatrics, vol. 149, no. 6, June 2022. Pubmed, doi:10.1542/peds.2021-056164.
Rao S, Hurst JH, Zhao C, Goldstein BA, Thomas L, Lang JE, Kelly MS. Asthma and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2022 Jun 1;149(6).

Published In

Pediatrics

DOI

EISSN

1098-4275

Publication Date

June 1, 2022

Volume

149

Issue

6

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Pediatrics
  • Humans
  • Child
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • COVID-19
  • Asthma
  • Adolescent