Skip to main content

Preexisting Allergic Disease May Increase Risk for Long COVID

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 15, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2023 -- Preexisting asthma or rhinitis may increase the risk for long COVID (LC), according to a review published online Nov. 8 in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

Doreen Wolff, from the University of Magdeburg in Germany, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to examine the epidemiological evidence on allergic diseases as risk factors for LC.

Based on 13 studies (9,967 participants; range, 39 to 1,950 per study), the researchers found that the evidence supported a possible relationship between LC and allergy but was very uncertain. The proportion of people with LC ranged from 11 to 90 percent. In hospital-based populations (six studies; 4,019 participants), the researchers found preexisting asthma measured may be associated with an increased risk for LC (odds ratio, 1.94), with very low certainty. Findings were similar for preexisting rhinitis (three studies; 1,141 participants; odds ratio, 1.96), with very low certainty. All studies had a high risk for bias due to population selection and methods used to ascertain the exposures and the outcome.

"The allergy community should be aware that individuals with asthma or rhinitis might be at increased risk of LC after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection," the authors write.

One author is the principal investigator of the StopCOVID observational cohort study and co-leads the PC-COS project, developing the Core Outcome Set for post-COVID-19 condition.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2023

Further Support and Information on COVID-19

Read this next

Higher COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Tied to Decrease in Childhood Asthma Symptoms

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Higher COVID-19 vaccination rates are associated with a lower prevalence of parent-reported childhood asthma symptoms, according to a research letter...

Allergy-Related Psychological Distress Common

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Psychological distress related to food allergies (FA) is common globally, according to a study published online June 21 in Allergy. Rebecca C...

Clinical Response Seen for Patients With Severe Asthma Initiating Biologics

FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- Patients with severe asthma initiating biologics exhibit clinical responses and super-responses, but 40 to 50 percent do not meet response criteria...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.