Health Status and Inconveniences of Asthmatic Children During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the most significant health concern in recent years, with respiratory symptoms being the most prominent. In children, asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease. Due to the similarities between the symptoms of these two conditions, we sought to assess the general health status of pediatric patients with asthma and their COVID-19-related difficulties during the first year of the pandemic in Iran. We collected data for this study by administering a questionnaire to the parents of 200 children with asthma who were registered in the database of the Asthma Clinic at a tertiary medical center in Tehran, Iran. Forty-five (22.5%) of 200 patients were suspected of having COVID-19, 11 (24.4%) underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, and 10 (90.9%) assays were positive. During the first year of the pandemic, 41 patients (20.5%) were referred to a medical center at least once, with 31.7% due to an asthma attack. One hundred eighty-nine patients (94.5%) reported an improved disease status than the previous year, and only 31 patients (15.5%) were using asthma-related medications such as Salbutamol. The estimated mean Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores for two age categories, 4-11 years and 12-18 years, were 25.55±2.27 and 23.28±3.31, respectively, indicating satisfactory disease control. In the majority of our study population, asthma control was acceptable. However, the pandemic caused a significant increase in the anxiety levels of patients and their parents.