(1197) Asthma and COVID-19: Impact on Length of Stay and Requirement of Mechanical Ventilation

Introduction: Asthma is an obstructive lung disease characterized by airway inflammation, mucus overproduction, and reactivity of bronchial smooth muscle. Early in the pandemic, there was conflicting data as to whether asthma is a risk factor for certain aspects of hospitalization with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify associations of asthma with hospital length of stay (LOS) or requirement for mechanical ventilation (MV) among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of hospitalized patients in our institution and its affiliated hospitals admitted for COVID-19 from March 2020 to December 2020. Subjects hospitalized for COVID-19 during the specified time period were included in the study unless they were pregnant or under the age of 18 years old. Subjects were screened by computer algorithm for a diagnosis of asthma via ICD-10 code (J45. 909). A total of 3,442 subjects were included in this study. Inferential statistics included chi-square analyses, two-way analysis of variance, and binomial logistic regression. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our institution.

Results: There was no significant difference in LOS between patients with (5.38 days±2.67) and without asthma (6.03 days±2.46). Asthma was not associated with an increased requirement for mechanical ventilation (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.99 - 2.01; p=0.09). Patients admitted with COVID-19 who carried a diagnosis of asthma were significantly younger (58.36 yrs.±17.38) than those without asthma (68.69 yrs.± 15.44).

Conclusions: No associations between a chronic diagnosis of asthma with LOS or requirement for mechanical ventilation were observed. In the recent update of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2023 report, it has since been noted that systematic reviews of data acquired around the time of our study have not shown an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in those with well controlled asthma. The risk of Covid-19 related death however, may be increased for those with severe asthma. Further investigation of our subject population with respect to severity, type, medications utilized, and level of asthma control will be considered.