Those suffering from an allergy such as hay fever, rhinitis or atopic eczema have a lower risk of getting Covid-19, especially if asthma is also present. Uncovering this unusual correlation is a large observational study conducted in the UK and published online in the scientific journal Thorax.
Until now, many studies have focused only on the possible risks of the Covid19 vaccine for allergy sufferers and on the factors that can expose you to a greater risk of becoming seriously ill. The new research, on the other hand, attempts to take into consideration any factors that may contribute to the infection in a mild form.
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Most of the studies conducted so far have examined factors that increase the risk of contracting severe forms of Covid-19 including male gender, black or Asian ethnicity, obesity and a number of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, COPD and hypertension. Identifying risk factors for milder disease has been relatively neglected, but it is important, both from a public health point of view (as it favors transmission to individuals at risk of severe disease) and from a biological perspective (since understanding of susceptibility factors can provide insights into the pathogenesis of the disease).
Research
To understand which demographic and socioeconomic factors, such as lifestyles, medical care and allergies, can contribute to increasing the risk of developing Covid-19, the researchers acquired detailed information on more than 15,000 British citizens (95% Caucasians) among May 2020 and February 2021. The average age of the participants was 59, of which 70% were women. In all, 446 participants (nearly 3%) had at least one episode of Covid-19 confirmed infection, as determined by swab testing (PCR or lateral flow) during the study period, and 32 were hospitalized.
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Allergies, asthma and Covid risk
British research has focused on the possible relationship between allergies and Covid-19, an issue on which there have been many doubts among patients, especially in relation to the possible effects of the vaccine. Just recently another study appeared on Jama Network Open, conducted by Harvard Medical School, showed how Covid-19 patients with severe previous allergies actually tolerate anti-Sars-CoV-2 vaccines very well.
Now this new research gives us more information: in people with eczema and / or atopic dermatitis, hay fever or allergic rhinitis the probability of developing the infection was 23% lower than in those without atopic disease or asthma. And among those who had both atopic disease and asthma, the risk was even lower: 38%.
This association was also confirmed after considering the use of steroid inhalers. Indeed, taking drugs to dampen the immune system response (immunosuppressants) has also been associated with a 53% reduction in the odds of Covid-19 infection.
Risk factors under review
The research then also wanted to investigate the possible factors that can favor the infection, albeit in a mild form. For this, all participants were asked to provide data on their age, family situation, job, lifestyle, weight, height, previous medical conditions, drug use, vaccination status. , the diet followed and the intake of supplements at the time they joined the study and then again in the following months.
But the researchers also took into account other potentially influencing factors such as education, family income, type of housing, number of people per bedroom, presence of school-age children at home, dog ownership. companionship, socialization with other families, the habit of shopping in malls, the frequency of any trips for work or study, the type of work and physical activity carried out, alcohol intake, weight (Index of Body Mass).
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What did they conclude by analyzing all the data? In fact, the researchers saw that some of the factors examined are independently associated with a higher likelihood of developing Covid-19. For example, people of Asian ethnicity were more than twice as likely to be infected. As was to be expected, even among the largest families, those who socialize more with others, among those who go out more frequently, but also among those who are overweight the risk of getting sick was greater.
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