According to a study published in the journal Respiratory Medicine, older adults with asthma were found to be at high risk of developing depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study, the statistics for older adults with asthma who had previously experienced depression was extremely alarming, with roughly half of them experiencing a recurrence of the disorder during the autumn of 2020, which was noticeably higher than recurrence rates among their peers who did not have asthma. Also, the incidence of depression was significantly higher among the lonely people.

The study used longitudinal data collected from 2,017 respondents. In the study, the respondents were divided into two groups based on their pre-pandemic histories of depression and those who had never had asthma. The findings of the study revealed that although respondents with a history of depression were at the highest risk, 1 in 7 of those without a pre-pandemic history of depression experienced depression in autumn 2020.

According to co-author Dr. Grace Li, a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria in Canada, "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."

Additionally, it was discovered that individuals with asthma who reported more family strife during the pandemic were more likely to experience depression by the fall of 2020. The researchers also discovered a link between depression in asthma patients and losing income or being unable to afford food or supplies during the epidemic. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/study-finds-older-adults-with-asthama-are-at-higher-risk-of-depression/1329073/ )