In Europe as in the United States, the first studies on patients affected by covid-19 showed that smokers were much less likely to get the disease, nicotine had a “protective” effect.
According to an even more comprehensive study published by King’s College London this week, among 28,882 participants who performed a PCR test, the proportion of smokers is higher among those who had a negative test (9.3%) than among those who tested positive ( 7.4%).
More severe symptoms
But a lower risk of becoming infected is not everything … The same study compares the cases of covid19 in smokers and in non-smokers.
And the verdict is less light for cigarette addicts: for equal risk factors (diabetes, obesity, age …) there is a 29% greater probability that smokers who get covid develop more than five symptoms, and 50% more than ten symptoms (shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, muscle or lung pain).
This is not surprising or extraordinary when it comes to a respiratory disease.
Smokers who test positive are 50% more likely to be hospitalized and admitted to intensive care than others.
For mortality, this proportion is still valid beyond the age of 65, but in this age category, smokers who have studied are much smaller.