Chronic Respiratory Diseases Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19 Complications.
Chronic respiratory diseases like COPD, asthma, and lung fibrosis may lead to severe complications if combined with COVID-19. Patients with these conditions are at higher risk of severe illness and death from the virus. Some studies suggest that asthma patients may face increased hospitalizations due to COVID-19 exacerbations. Lung fibrosis patients with low lung function have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. Those with sarcoidosis, especially on immunosuppressive drugs, are also at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. Research is ongoing to understand how COVID-19 affects chronic lung diseases in the long term. The goal is to study how COVID-19 impacts the course of chronic respiratory diseases.