Features of the course of bronchial asthma in patients who have suffered a new coronavirus infection

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the clinical status of patients with bronchial asthma in the post-Covid period depending on the severity of the acute period of COVID-19. Materials and methods: a case-control study was conducted of patients diagnosed with asthma who had suffered a coronavirus infection, who turned to the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Pulmonology Center for consultation about asthma. The analysis included 56 patients. The survey methods included two stages: retrospective and prospective. The following scales were assessed: the severity of asthma, the level of asthma therapy, asthma control according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), and the severity of shortness of breath (mMRC test). Results: the analysis revealed statistically significant differences on all scales, regardless of the severity of the acute course of COVID-19, p <0.005. In the process of data analysis, depending on the severity of the acute period of infection, statistically significant differences in the clinical status before and after COVID-19 were found in patients with mild and moderate coronavirus infection. In patients who had mild COVID-19, clinical status indicators worsened on all scales: asthma severity before COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2.00–2.00], after COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2.00–3.00], р<0.005; control according to GINA before COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2.00–2.00] after COVID-19 ─ 3.00 [2.00–3.00]; step therapy before COVID-19 ─ 3.00 [2.25–3.00], after ─ 4.00 [4.00–5.00], р<0.005; severity of shortness of breath before COVID-19 ─ 1.00 [0.25–1.00], after COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [1.00–2.00], р<0.005. Patients who had moderate COVID-19 also worsened all indicators of clinical status on all scales: severity of asthma before COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2.00–2.00], after COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2,00–3.00], p<0.005; control according to GINA before COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [2.00–2.00], after COVID-19 ─ 3.00 [2.00–3.00]; level of therapy before COVID-19 ─ 3.00 [3.00–3.00], after COVID-19 ─ 4.00 [4.00–5.00], p<0.005; severity of shortness of breath before COVID-19 ─ 1,00 [1.00–1.00], after COVID-19 ─ 2.00 [1.00–2.00], p<0.005. Conclusion. еhe results of our study demonstrate the negative impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the clinical status of patients with asthma who have suffered a new coronavirus infection.