ACE2, TMPRSS2, and furin gene expression in the airways of people with asthma—implications for COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel zoonotic coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been identified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Several risk factors have been identified for severe COVID-19–associated pneumonia including increased age and the presence of comorbidities, in particular diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and tobacco smoking.1 However, a number of reports have failed to identify excess risk in patients with respiratory airway diseases such as asthma.