‘Almost a third of asthmatic young adults ignoring COVID norms’

Awareness of guidelines to prevent COVID-19 is high among young asthma sufferers, but around a third of them do not comply with the measures, researchers have warned.

The results, published in the Journal of Asthma, also reveal that a fifth of asthmatics believe they have no risk of suffering from COVID-19.

"While asthma patients can be assumed to be at higher risk of developing respiratory complications from COVID-19, little is known about their adherence to prevention measures," said study author Francisco Vazquez-Nava from the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas in Mexico.

To find out more, the research team surveyed 2,372 young adults aged 16-24 years from the Tampico-Madero-Altamira area, northwest of Mexico City, via an emailed questionnaire.

The researchers found that more than half (53.1 per cent) of all respondents were not complying with the guidelines for Covid-19 prevention.

Of those with asthma (12.2 per cent), 100 per cent were aware of the guidelines and measures established to prevent COVID-19 but 30.8 per cent said they did not comply with them.

A fifth (20.4 per cent) of asthmatic participants believed they had no risk of suffering from Covid-19, and 3.8 per cent stated that the disease did not exist.

Being male, a smoker and believing that COVID-19 is not more severe for people suffering from asthma made respondents less likely to follow measures for the prevention of COVID-19.

The study also found that 44.3 per cent of patients with asthma hadn't received instructions from their doctor about the measures they should take to prevent COVID-19.

"Our results show that a substantial percentage of asthma patients do not comply with COVID-19 mitigation measures," the study authors wrote.

"It's important that people who suffer from asthma be advised by a health professional during the COVID-19 outbreak regarding compliance with basic measures of protection against the disease and the timely use of medications for asthma control," they concluded.