tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol
. 2021 Mar 24.
doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00547.2020. Online ahead of print.
Implications of pre-existing asthma on COVID-19 pathogenesis
Rakhee K Ramakrishnan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Saba Al Heialy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Qutayba Hamid[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spreading at an alarming rate has taken a heavy toll on the public healthcare systems and economies worldwide. An abnormal and overactivated inflammatory response is occasionally elicited by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and this hyperinflammation is associated with worse prognosis of COVID-19. Theoretically, one would expect asthma patients to be at a greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection considering their increased susceptibility to common respiratory virus-associated exacerbations. Surprisingly, current data do not consistently suggest an increased prevalence of asthma among COVID-19 patients. Considering the high global prevalence of asthma, the characteristics of the disease and/or their conventional therapy might play a role in their potential defense against COVID-19. This may be attributed to the T helper type 2 immune response predominantly seen in asthmatics. Likewise, asthma therapeutics, including corticosteroids and biologics, may in fact benefit the asthmatics by alleviating the development of hyperinflammation. On the other hand, elevated IL-17 levels are characteristically seen in a subset of asthma patients with severe disease as well as in COVID-19 patients. Targeting the IL-17 pathway as a treatment strategy could plausibly alleviate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients with asthma demonstrating a predominant T helper type 17 response. A clinical trial including a drug targeting this pathway may thus, constitute a logical addition to the global pursuit for effective therapeutics against COVID-19. The complex interplay between the asthma endotypes and COVID-19 is not very well understood and will be discussed in this mini-review.
Keywords: Asthma; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Th17 asthma; Th2-high asthma.
. 2021 Mar 24.
doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00547.2020. Online ahead of print.
Implications of pre-existing asthma on COVID-19 pathogenesis
Rakhee K Ramakrishnan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Saba Al Heialy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Qutayba Hamid[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33759572
- DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00547.2020
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spreading at an alarming rate has taken a heavy toll on the public healthcare systems and economies worldwide. An abnormal and overactivated inflammatory response is occasionally elicited by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and this hyperinflammation is associated with worse prognosis of COVID-19. Theoretically, one would expect asthma patients to be at a greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection considering their increased susceptibility to common respiratory virus-associated exacerbations. Surprisingly, current data do not consistently suggest an increased prevalence of asthma among COVID-19 patients. Considering the high global prevalence of asthma, the characteristics of the disease and/or their conventional therapy might play a role in their potential defense against COVID-19. This may be attributed to the T helper type 2 immune response predominantly seen in asthmatics. Likewise, asthma therapeutics, including corticosteroids and biologics, may in fact benefit the asthmatics by alleviating the development of hyperinflammation. On the other hand, elevated IL-17 levels are characteristically seen in a subset of asthma patients with severe disease as well as in COVID-19 patients. Targeting the IL-17 pathway as a treatment strategy could plausibly alleviate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients with asthma demonstrating a predominant T helper type 17 response. A clinical trial including a drug targeting this pathway may thus, constitute a logical addition to the global pursuit for effective therapeutics against COVID-19. The complex interplay between the asthma endotypes and COVID-19 is not very well understood and will be discussed in this mini-review.
Keywords: Asthma; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Th17 asthma; Th2-high asthma.