A new study claims that people with allergic conditions such as eczema, hay fever, and rhinitis may be less likely to catch COVID-19.
Moreover, the research shows that contrary to recent studies, older age, male sex, and other underlying illnesses aren't associated with an increased risk of infection.
However, the data suggest that Asian ethnicity, obesity, household overcrowding, indoor socializing with other households, and working in a people-facing profession other than health and social care are all individually linked to a higher risk of acquiring COVID-19.
According to the researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests that at least some risk factors for COVID-19 may differ from those that predispose to severe disease and the need for urgent care.
Allergy-related diseases including hay fever and eczema, which are brought on by allergens, were linked to a 23% decreased risk of coronavirus infection.
During the pandemic, people with both an atopic disorder and asthma were 38% less likely to get sick. Even after scientists took into account the use of steroid inhalers, the findings held up.
Immunosuppressants, which are used to reduce excessive immune system reactions (which can cause allergies), were shown to be 53% less likely to contract COVID. However, researchers believe that this is due to the fact that many immunocompromised persons stayed at home for the most of the pandemic.
The researchers asked people to provide information about their age, job, lifestyle, household circumstances, weight, height, pre-existing medical conditions, medication use, vaccination history, diet, and supplement intake for a large study of British adults that took place between May 2020 and February 2021.
15,227 of the 16,081 participants completed at least one follow-up questionnaire at least 30 days after enrolling in the study, and 14,348 completed the final questionnaire on or before Feb. 5, 2021. The participants were on average 59 years old, with 70% of them being female and 95% of them being White.
During that time period, about 3% of these people tested positive for the virus, according to the findings. The researchers noted that their study was observational and that cause and effect could not be established. People tested themselves for the virus, and those who had no symptoms might not have thought it was necessary to do so.
"This large, population-based prospective study shows that there is limited overlap between risk factors for developing COVID-19 versus those for intensive care unit admission and death, as reported in hospitalized cohorts," study author Professor Adrian Martineau of Queen Mary University said in a media release.
The findings appear in the journal Thorax.
