Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system. People with asthma are generally considered to have a higher risk of developing respiratory infections, like influenza. However, it is unclear whether having asthma increases the risk of developing the COVID-19 respiratory infection. 

Based on a limited number of studies, scientists have observed that asthma among hospitalized COVID-19 patients is similar to the rate in the overall adult population. This suggests that adults with asthma are not at a greater risk of developing a coronavirus infection, but definitive conclusions cannot be made based on the scarce data available. Data about the associations between asthma and COVID-19 outcomes are also limited and imprecise due to small sample sizes. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Lung Association, people with moderate-to-severe or uncontrolled asthma are more likely to require hospitalization for COVID-19 and experience severe disease. Studies have shown that children who have asthma may have an increased risk of hospitalization for COVID-19, but their overall risk remains low. Data has not shown that this population has a greater risk for admission to pediatric intensive care units over general hospital units.

Results from a systematic review conducted by the World Health Organization suggested that having asthma does not increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality. However, having comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with an increased risk of death. Studies have also linked having non-allergic asthma with increased mortality from COVID-19, but it is unclear whether study subjects also had COPD, which has been consistently and independently associated with severe COVID-19. 

Asthma is a lifelong lung disease that makes breathing difficult. We do not understand the causes of asthma, but several factors, including genetics, allergies, environmental exposures, and childhood respiratory infections, play important roles. People with asthma are sensitive to environmental triggers, which commonly include dust mites, cockroaches, pets, mold, and tobacco smoke. When inhaled, triggers cause the lungs to produce more mucus and swell. This narrows the airways and makes it harder to breathe. During an asthma attack, individuals experience serious, and possibly life-threatening, symptoms, like shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, or a tight chest.

Information about asthma and its associations with COVID-19 is limited, but experts believe that everyone, especially those with moderate-to-severe asthma, should protect themselves and others by getting COVID-19 vaccines, masking, social distancing, and maintaining proper hand hygiene.