Allergic diseases (asthma and allergic rhinitis) are associated with a doubled risk of long COVID. The research was published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy.
Long COVID is the persistence or recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms for more than 12 weeks after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. With this condition, patients often complain of shortness of breath and fatigue, and may also experience cardiovascular, nervous and digestive system disorders. Sometimes these symptoms persist for more than a year.
In the new study, scientists from the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OvGU) examined 13 studies involving approximately 10 thousand patients. It turns out that people with asthma and allergic rhinitis have almost twice the risk of long-term Covid-19. But the evidence wasn’t clear, so more research is needed. If the scientists’ findings are confirmed, patients with allergies may need closer medical supervision if they contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Additionally, blood parameters related to immune function can be used to predict long-term COVID risk. The authors suggest that allergy-associated immune cells (type 2 T helper lymphocytes) provide some degree of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections, but may also increase the risk of long-term COVID. It is also thought that the release of inflammatory cytokines in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection may worsen pre-existing allergic diseases.
Previous scientists in the name Risk factors for allergies in adults.