Ali Guvey
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol . 2021 May 1;1-5. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-06836-z. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2, which leads to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is an exceptionally infectious disease which symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea, and sometimes can be fatal in people with risk factors. Initially, some allergic diseases, including asthma, were defined as risk factors and poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate how allergic rhinitis affects the severity of COVID-19.
This was a case-control study conducted at Sakarya Educational and Research Hospital, Toyota Hospital, and Yenikent State Hospital between March 18, 2020, and August 30, 2020. It included 125 randomly selected patients previously diagnosed with allergic rhinitis before being diagnosed with COVID-19; and a control group of 125 patients without allergic rhinitis and diagnosed with COVID-19.
Patients were assessed regarding symptoms, lifestyle (smoke), comorbidities, and length of hospitalization.
The two groups did not have statistical differences in asymptomatic patients, smokers, hospitalization status, and length.
Two patients from each group went to an intensive care unit, and three patients died: one patient with allergic rhinitis and two from the control group.
In conclusion, allergic rhinitis did not impact the severity of COVID-19. However, more studies are needed with patients with allergic rhinitis and COVID-19.
