Tobacco Product Use and the Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19: Current Understanding and Re
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Benowitz
NL, Goniewicz ML, Halpern-Felsher B, et al.
Tobacco Product Use and
the Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19: Current Understanding and
Recommendations for Future Research.
Lancet Respir Med. 2022;10(9):900-915. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00182-5
Heterogeneity in the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19
progression underscores the urgent need to identify individual-level
susceptibility factors that affect infection vulnerability and disease
severity. Tobacco product use is a potential susceptibility factor. In this
Personal View, we provide an overview of the findings of peer-reviewed,
published studies relating tobacco product use to SARS-CoV-2 infection and
COVID-19 outcomes, with most studies focusing on cigarette smoking in adults.
Findings pertaining to the effects of tobacco product use on the incidence of
SARS-CoV-2 infection are inconsistent. However, evidence supports a role for
cigarette smoking in increasing the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes, including
hospital admission, progression in disease severity, and COVID-19-related
mortality. We discuss the potential effects of tobacco use behaviour on
SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection, and highlight the pathophysiological
changes associated with cigarette smoking that could promote SARS-CoV-2
infection and increased disease severity. We consider the biological mechanisms
by which nicotine and other tobacco product constituents might affect immune
and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, we identify
current knowledge gaps and suggest priorities for research to address acute and
post-acute health outcomes of COVID-19 during and after the pandemic.
|
|
Email to a Friend