INTERVIEW
"I have received emails from patients telling me that they are going to lower their dose" of treatment, worries doctor allergist Madeleine Epstein, on Europe 1. The program Sans Rendez-vous gave him the floor on Friday, to send a message to allergy sufferers and asthmatics trying to stop or reduce their treatment in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic.
"It is not at all what to do," warns the allergist. "Asthmatics are no more at risk than everyone else from getting the virus, but the question is whether they will develop a more severe form," she said. "You have to be careful and the best protection is to balance your bronchi, put them to rest so that they are not too reactive and inflammatory, and thus reduce the risk," adds Dr. Epstein. For this, it is therefore imperative not to stop the treatment.
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For asthmatics, continue taking corticosteroids
But what should an asthmatic who begins to feel short of breath and have a fever do? Same circuit as any other person, says the allergist. "He must go through the recommended circuit. If he has symptoms, he must call the Samu to follow the 'suspected coronavirus' circuit".
"In all pathologies you have varying degrees of severity," she adds, referring to mild asthma and more severe asthma. "In any case, everyone must be very careful, limit contact, wash their hands and continue to take medicines that balance their pathology."
>> Find the whole of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here
"Antihistamines will protect"
What about allergy sufferers? Spring is here, and soon the first pollens. Can antihistamines present a risk against coronaviruses like anti-inflammatories? Asks a listener. On the contrary, answers doctor Madeleine Epstein: "Antihistamines will protect".
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"A study has shown that having an allergic reaction can make people more susceptible and more susceptible to infections, and blocking the histamine that causes the allergy can make them less susceptible to viral infections," says l allergist. "It is therefore very important not to stop them." They are therefore good at differentiating from anti-inflammatory drugs whose intake is likely to worsen infection due to the coronavirus.