TY - JOUR T1 - COVID-19 in two severe asthmatics receiving benralizumab: busting the eosinophilia myth JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00457-2020 SP - 00457-2020 AU - Andreas Renner AU - Katharina Marth AU - Karin Patocka AU - Marco Idzko AU - Wolfgang Pohl Y1 - 2020/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/09/17/23120541.00457-2020.abstract N2 - Amidst the current pandemic there is only little clinical evidence regarding COVID-19 infections in asthma patients. Chinese data [1, 2] suggests that asthma patients might not be of an elevated risk of severe infections. A recent article by Carli et al. [3] hypothesises that asthma might even have a protective effect in COVID-19 infections. It is important to point out, that this is purely theoretical. Eosinophils from healthy probands have an antiviral activity against respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus, but not eosinophils collected from asthma patients [4]. Eosinopenia, alongside lymphopenia has been seen in COVID-19 patients [2]. Both eosinopenia and lymphopenia are more common in in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis compared to patients with non-COVID-19 viral pneumonitis [5]. Azkur et al. attribute this to an overwhelming type 1 response [6].FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Renner has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Marth has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Ms. Patocka has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Prof. Idzko has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Prof. Pohl has nothing to disclose. ER -