In January 2025, BMJ Journals released the study, “Risk of long COVID in patients with pre-existing chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” which gathered data from 51 studies from PubMed and Embase databases. Researchers found that pre-existing asthma was associated with 41% higher odds of long COVID, while COPD was linked to 32% higher odds. Pre-existing asthma only was tied to a greater risk of long COVID–related fatigue. Although study heterogeneity and potential confounding variables were noted, the results suggest that pre-existing asthma and COPD may play a role in long COVID development.
Read the study here.