After COVID-19 limits were lifted, the likelihood of having a severe asthma episode doubled.

 After COVID-19 limits were lifted, the likelihood of having a severe asthma episode doubled.

After COVID-19 limits were abolished in the UK, the probability of a severe asthma attack among adults with the condition was about doubled.

Recent research from Queen Mary University of London indicates that severe asthma attacks increased significantly after COVID-19.

Asthma exacerbations, also known as asthma attacks, are the primary cause of disease and demise in people with this condition. More than 300 million individuals worldwide and more than 5 million people in the UK suffer from asthma.

the signs of a serious asthma attack

the signs of a serious asthma attack

Among the symptoms are the following:

• Breathlessness

• chest tightness 

• wheezing

• Coughing

The study, which was presented today at the British Thoracic Society meeting, indicated that the risk of these attacks rose when COVID-19 limits were abolished. It was published in the journal Thorax.

Relaxing the rules led to a decrease in facial coverings and an increase in social interaction, which increased the risk of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections. Additionally, the study discovered that COVID-19 did not significantly increase the risk of asthma attacks compared to other respiratory illnesses.

When social mixing rules and the requirement for facial coverings began to loosen in April 2021, 1.7% of participants said they had experienced a serious asthma attack in the previous month. This percentage increased by more than doubling to 3.7% in January 2022.

Data from 2,312 UK individuals with asthma who took part in Queen Mary's PROVIDENCE UK project between November 2020 and April 2022 were analyzed for the study. Data on face covering use, social interaction, and asthma symptoms were gathered using monthly online surveys.

Facemasks may shield users from dangerous asthma attacks.

The study's lead author, Professor Adrian Martineau of Queen Mary University of London's Department of Respiratory Infection and Immunity, said, "This study reveals that loosening of Covid-19 limitations is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma attacks.

"Since our study was observational, cause-and-effect cannot be established. Our findings, however, do suggest that some aspects of the public health interventions put in place during the pandemic, such as using facemasks, might contribute to a future decline in respiratory infections.

Dr. Florence Tydeman, the study's first author, continued, "It is also comforting to find that COVID-19 was not significantly more likely to cause asthma attacks in our study participants than other respiratory illnesses."

The study is the first to assess how COVID-19 affects the risk of asthma flare-ups in comparison to other respiratory infections. It is also one of the few studies that examines how easing national limits may affect asthma sufferers.