CONCLUSIONS
After an extensive review of the current literature, only one study reported information on asthma as a potential risk factor for COVID-19 severity –but not mortality– in children. However, the largest studies to date have been limited to a description of the number of cases by age group, and so it remains unclear whether childhood asthma –or other pediatric respiratory diseases– are associated with COVID-19 risk or severity.
We hereby ask the public health community to move beyond confirming what’s already known –that the disease affects children and young adults less frequently and severely than older groups– and to study affected pediatric populations in more detail. Does asthma constitute a risk factor for COVID-19 in children? Do asthma severity or control modify the course of the disease? Are asthma medications (particularly ICS and systemic steroids) or their doses protective or detrimental? Given the limited numbers of pediatric cases in any one given center/country, collaborative international efforts may be the only way to shed light on the topic. This will be true not just for childhood asthma but for pediatric diseases in general.