Asthma Allergy Immunology

Asthma Allergy Immunology

2021, Vol 19, Num, 1     (Pages: 001-005)

Pros and Cons of Nebulizer Treatment in Asthma Exacerbation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ayşe Bilge ÖZTÜRK 1, Ayşe BACCIOĞLU 2, Özge UYSAL SOYER 3, Ersoy CIVELEK 4, Bülent Enis ŞEKEREL 3, Sevim BAVBEK 5,

1 Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Koç University, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Department of Chest Diseases, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Kırıkkale University, Faculty of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey
3 Department of Pediatric Allergy, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
4 Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
5 Department of Chest Diseases, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

DOI: 10.21911/aai.603
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Nebulizers generate aerosols and may potentially transmit respiratory viral particles including SARS-CoV-2. There is a great concern about the use of a nebulizer in the treatment of asthma exacerbations in the hospital or home setting during the COVID-19 pandemic and its use is not recommended unless essential. However, aerosol therapy should not be avoided in obligatory indications. Therefore, indications of nebulizer use during the pandemic should be evaluated on an individual basis in case of a severe asthma attack, and infection control recommendations should be followed by clinicians while using nebulizers. In this article, we aimed to assess the safety in addition to the `pro` and `con` sides of nebulizer treatment in asthma exacerbation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords : Asthma, coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, nebulizers