"Nicotine has effects on the
immune system that could
be beneficial"
"Nicotine has effects on the immune system that could be
beneficial in reducing the intensity of the cytokine storm.
"The potential benefits of nicotine.... could explain, at least
in part, the increased severity or adverse outcome among
smokers hospitalized for COVID-19 since these patients
inevitably experience abrupt cessation of nicotine intake
during hospitalization.
"This may be feasible through repurposing already approved
pharmaceutical nicotine products such as nicotine patches."
What the studies show:
China
UCL reviewed 22 studies conducted at hospitals in China.
Between 3.8 and 17.6 percent of COVID-19 patients were
current smokers and fewer than five percent were former
smokers. More than half of the country's adult male population
smoke, according to a 2018 study.
Italy
Fewer than five percent of 441 COVID-19 patients admitted to
a hospital in Parma were smokers. The scientists said that the
number was 'very low', as almost a quarter of the population
are regular smokers. However, the hospitalised smokers had a
50/50 survival rate while a third of the non-smokers died.
Israel
More than 3 million adults were included in this study. Of those
who tested positive for COVID-19, 9.8 percent were current
smokers compared to 19 percent of the overall population.
Meanwhile, 11.7 percent of those who tested positive were
former smokers compared to 13.9 percent in the overall
population.
The study also found no evidence that smokers were at greater
risk of worsening symptoms. The researchers wrote: "The
magnitude of association observed for current smoking, with
odds of infection reduced by about a half in smokers, suggests
a genuine protective effect of smoking on the risk of COVID-19."
Mexico
UK
A UCL study of UK patients in international hospitals found that five
percent of COVID-19 patients were smokers. Meanwhile, an Imperial
College London study, using data from a symptom tracker app found
that 11 percent of people who reported symptoms were smokers.
However, of those who had never been tested for coronavirus, current
smokers were 14 percent more likely to develop fever, persistent
cough and shortness of breath. They were also 50 percent more
likely to develop 10 or more symptoms, such as diarrhoea and loss
of appetite.
USA
Just 1.3 percent of 7,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus
were smokers. Smokers were also at no greater risk of suffering
from complications and ending up in hospital. Meanwhile, a study
conducted in New York City found that just 5.1 percent of COVID-19
patients were smokers.
Adult smokers are 23 percent less likely to contract COVID-19.
The data of almost 9,000 patients with the disease also
revealed that smokers who caught it were no more likely to
end up on a ventilator or die.
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