Pulmonary Medicine, Franciscus Gasthuis and Vlietland, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021 May;8(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000758.
Following the recent COVID-19 lockdown, a reduction in emergency healthcare visits was reported. Infectious diseases were less often diagnosed, while it was not clear if this was due to a decrease in prevalence or a decrease in emergency healthcare visits due to fear of COVID-19.
This study comprises a follow-up from a recently finished randomised controlled trial, to gain insight into the prevalence of asthma exacerbation and fear of COVID-19 in patients with moderate-severe asthma and controls in the Netherlands. Participants, patients with asthma and controls, were invited to fill out a short survey by email or post. Exacerbation frequencies until 1 July 2020 were verified with the hospitals' and general practitioners' medical records, pharmacies and patient interviews.
In quarter 2 of 2020, mean exacerbation frequency per patient was significantly lower (χ(3)=9.91, p=0.019) compared with quarter 2 in previous years. Patients with asthma were more likely to avoid (38.8%; controls, 0.0%, p<0.01) or delay (24.5%; controls, 0.0%, p=0.02) essential medical visits due to fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection at medical facilities.
In conclusion, we found a significantly reduced asthma exacerbation frequency during COVID-19 social distancing measures compared with previous years. Patients with asthma also showed more anxiety towards (acquiring) COVID-19 infection.
NL8576.
最近的 COVID-19 封锁后，报道称急诊医疗就诊量有所减少。传染病的诊断也减少了，但尚不清楚这是由于患病率下降还是由于对 COVID-19 的恐惧而减少了急诊医疗就诊量。
本研究是对最近完成的一项随机对照试验的随访，旨在深入了解荷兰中度至重度哮喘患者和对照者中哮喘恶化和对 COVID-19 的恐惧的患病率。通过电子邮件或邮寄邀请参与者（哮喘患者和对照者）填写简短的调查问卷。直到 2020 年 7 月 1 日，通过医院和全科医生的病历、药房和患者访谈来验证加重频率。
在 2020 年第 2 季度，每位患者的平均加重频率明显较低（χ(3)=9.91，p=0.019），与前几年的第 2 季度相比。由于害怕在医疗机构感染 SARS-CoV-2，哮喘患者更有可能避免（38.8%；对照组，0.0%，p<0.01）或延迟（24.5%；对照组，0.0%，p=0.02）基本医疗就诊。
总之，我们发现与前几年相比，在 COVID-19 社交距离措施期间，哮喘加重的频率明显降低。哮喘患者对（获得）COVID-19 感染也表现出更多的焦虑。
NL8576。
