Impact of imposed social isolation and use of face masks on asthma course and mental health in pediatric and adult patients with recurrent wheeze and asthma

Abstract

Background There is currently a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, and further drastic restrictions in our daily life will be necessary to contain this pandemic. The implications of restrictive measures like social-distancing and mouth-nose protection on patients with chronic respiratory diseases have hardly been investigated. Methods Our survey, was conducted within the All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), a multicenter longitudinal observational study. We assessed the effects of COVID-19 imposed social isolation and use of facial masks, on asthma course and mental health in patients with asthma and wheezing. Results We observed a high rate of problems associated with using facemasks and a significant reduction in the use of routine medical care. In addition to unsettling impacts, such as an increase in depression symptoms in adults, an astonishing and pleasing effect was striking: preschool children experienced an improvement in disease condition during the lockdown. This improvement can be attributed to a significant reduction in exposure to viral infections. Conclusion Long-term observation of this side effect may help improve our understanding of the influence of viral infections on asthma in early childhood.