A new study has shown that  Older adults with asthma were at high risk of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic. 
According to a study that was published in the journal Respiratory Medicine, the statistics for older adults with asthma who had previously experienced depression were extremely alarming, with nearly half of them experiencing a recurrence of the disorder during the autumn of 2020, which was noticeable higher than recurrence rates among their peers who did not have asthma. However, individuals who have alone experienced significantly higher levels of depression.

"It is unsurprising that this population experienced a precipitous decline in mental health during the pandemic, given the high comorbidity between asthma and depression prior to the pandemic, combined with the loneliness associated with prolonged periods of lockdown and the stress over being labelled high-risk for severe Covid-19-related outcomes," said first author Andie MacNeil, a research assistant at the University of Toronto in Canada.

The study made a distinction between those with pre-pandemic histories of depression and those who had never experienced it previously among 2,017 respondents with asthma using longitudinal data.

The study found that although respondents with a history of depression were at the highest risk, 1 in 7 of those without a history of depression prior to the pandemic experienced depression in autumn 2020, illustrating the impact of the pandemic on these formerly mentally healthy older adults with asthma.

"The pandemic has had adverse repercussions for the mental health of older persons, particularly those who are also facing chronic health issues, such as asthma, "says co-author Grace Li, a PhD candidate at the Canada-based University of Victoria.

The researchers discovered that individuals with asthma who reported more family strife during the pandemic were more likely to experience depression by the fall of 2020. It is also found a correlation between depression in asthma sufferers and experiencing a loss of income or not being able to afford food or supplies during the pandemic.

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