key: cord-0996098-kma5xumq
authors: Kagohashi, Katsunori; Miyazaki, Kunihiko; Satoh, Hiroaki
title: Outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with severe asthma on biologics
date: 2021-03-06
journal: Respir Med
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106358
sha: e4a5e3ef1d0bfb5016ffc4c3b7d2ef7ff4668d2b
doc_id: 996098
cord_uid: kma5xumq

nan

. We have been particularly interested in the management of patients with severe bronchial asthma treated with biologic therapy, and we would like to raise four issues arising from the article by Eger et al. [1] .

First, this study compared hospitalization, intubation, and mortality due to COVID-19 between patients and the public population without matching background and characteristics of clinical factors except for age. We do wonder whether the method of simply comparing without matching background factors is correct as a methodology even if the number of control subjects are very large. We would like to ask the authors whether we could draw the appropriate conclusion from such statistical analysis.

Second, the data shown as severe asthma patients were only those from the onset of COVID-19. We would like to know how severe the 9 patients with severe asthma were before they had COVID-19. In fact, only 3 of the 9 patients received oral corticosteroids. Please let us know about severity of the asthma attack and requirement of hospital treatment before they had COVID-19. It is presumed that the patient required biologics and were severe asthma patients. If so, we do wonder whether asthma of these patients was controlled by biologics at the time of they had COVID-19.

Third, of the 9 patients presented as severe asthma, 6 were obese. Was there a statistically significant difference in obesity between them and the control subjects? Fourth, the authors described biological mechanism of the biologics. However, we do wonder whether background strictly matched comparison must be required in order to clarify the scientific effects of biologics.

None declared.

None declared.

Poor outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with severe asthma on biologic therapy