Inside STAT: Does asthma raise Covid-19 risk? Research points to complex connection

(ADOBE)

When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit, experts thought that asthmatics might be at an increased risk of contracting serious infection. After all, the coronavirus works by attacking the lungs, and other viruses in the lungs have been known to set off serious asthma attacks. But six months into the pandemic, the picture seems complicated: A recent analysis of data from more than 1,500 people found that Covid-19 patients with asthma didn't fare any worse than those without asthma. But not all asthmatics are the same, and another study found that those whose asthma is triggered by factors such as weather and stress (versus allergens like pollen) had a higher likelihood of contracting Covid-19. STAT's Juliet Isselbacher has more here.