A study disproves the previous assumption that asthmatics belong to the coronavirus risk group. A well-adjusted asthma is even said to protect against severe Covid 19 courses.
- Up until now, asthmatics, like smokers and older people with previous illnesses, belonged to the Covid 19 risk group *.
- A US study disproves the assumption that people with asthma are more likely to develop severe Covid-19.
- However, this only applies under certain conditions.
The novel lung disease Covid-19, which is triggered by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, is still a mystery. Theses made at the beginning of the pandemic are partially refuted by new study results. There is also new knowledge with regard to the risk groups: asthmatics should not be part of the risk group . Scientists even claim to have found that an asthma drug has protective effects.
"We therefore assume that asthma patients have no increased risk of developing Covid-19"
In general, the fewer viruses that enter the body, the milder a coronavirus infection. However, how well the viruses can multiply in the body also plays an important role. This is where the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) comes into play. Docked to this enzyme, the genetic material of the coronavirus gets into the organism and spreads. The fewer ACE2 receptors, the more difficult coronaviruses can penetrate and cause damage. In a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a national team of researchers from the USA came to the conclusion that asthmatics have fewer ACE2 receptors - if they treat their asthma with inhaled cortisone spray. " While our results do not prove that inhaled corticosteroids protect against Sars-CoV-2 infection, they may protect against severe courses of the disease, " quotes Tagesspiegel, one of the study authors, Michael Peters from the University of California at San Francisco.
The scientists also noticed that men, people of African descent, people with diabetes, high blood pressure * and previous illnesses had elevated ACE2 values. "This could explain why these traits are associated with severe Covid 19 diseases ," said Peters.
Epidemiological studies in China and Europe also indicate that asthmatics have to be treated relatively rarely in hospital because of Covid-19. "We therefore assume that asthma patients have no increased risk of developing Covid-19," quotes the Tagesschau Marek Lommatzsch from the Rostock University Medical Center. The lower amount of ACE2 receptors in the respiratory tract could even limit the viral load and prevent severe courses .
Read also : Coronavirus: These three factors determine whether Covid-19 is critical.
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* Merkur.de belongs to the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network .
