Risk of severe asthma attacks ‘doubled’ after Covid restrictions lifted

Asthma affects more than 5 million people in the UK

Asthma inhalers help prevent breathlessness and chest tightness as well as severe asthma attacks (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The risk of suffering a severe asthma attack nearly doubled for adults after Covid restrictions were relaxed, a new study has found.

When the government lifted pandemic restrictions in April 2021, fewer people wore face coverings and there was more social mixing and a higher risk of catching Covid and other acute respiratory infections.

A study by Queen Mary University in London found that 1.7 per cent of participants reported having a severe asthma attack in the month before the restrictions were lifted, but in January 2022 that figure rose to 3.7 per cent.

Lead author of the study, Professor Adrian Martineau said: “This research shows that relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions coincided with an increased risk of severe asthma attacks.”

While the study was observational, so it couldn’t prove cause and effect, Prof Martineau said the findings raised the possibility that certain elements of the public health measures introduced during the pandemic – such as wearing facemasks - could help reduce respiratory illnesses in future.

The researchers also found that Covid-19 was not significantly more likely to trigger an asthma attack than other respiratory infections.

It is the first to compare the influence of Covid versus other respiratory infections on the risk of bringing on an asthma attack and is one of only a few studies that looked at the impact of lifting national restrictions on people with asthma.

The first author of the paper, Dr Florence Tydeman said: “It is also reassuring to see that Covid-19 was not significantly more likely to trigger asthma attacks than other respiratory infections in our study participants.”

The researchers analysed data from 2,312 UK adults with asthma, between November 2020 and April 2022.

Details on face covering use, social mixing, and asthma symptoms were collected via monthly online questionnaires.

Asthma affects more than 5 million people in the UK and more than 300 million globally. Symptoms include breathlessness and chest tightness as well as wheezing and coughing.

The research team published its findings in Thorax and presented them at the British Thoracic Society meeting.