The "Stay at home" COVID-19 lockdown restriction may have prevented asthma exacerbations in children affected by pollen allergy: a single center experience

Background: The "stay at home" COVID-19 lockdown restriction represented a "real-life experiment" of pollen avoidance for children affected by pollen allergy. Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed all children with a known diagnosis of pollen-allergy asthma who attended the Emergency Department (ED) for an asthma exacerbation (AE) in the town of Mantua and its province between March 9 - May 3 of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020. Results: In 2020, 4 (0.7%) children with a known diagnosis of pollen-allergy accessed the ED for an AE. Pediatric access was a total of 20 (0.5%) and 12 (0.3%) in 2018 and 2019 in the same period. The rate of hospitalization was 0 in 2020 versus 3 (15%) and 1 (8.3%) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Conclusions: The inevitable pollen avoidance during COVID-19 lockdown may have prevented asthma exacerbations in children affected by pollen allergy.