Heavy smokers have an almost DOUBLE risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to people who have never smoked

Cigarette smokers are at a much higher risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 compared to those who have never smoked, a new study suggests.

The researchers found that all smokers were more likely to perform poorly because of the virus, but those at greatest risk were heavy smokers, defined as those who smoked at least one pack a day for longer. 30 years old.

These patients had nearly double the risk of death from COVID-19 and were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized due to the disease.

The team, from the Cleveland Clinic, say their findings are the most comprehensive evidence to date of a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking and a high risk of serious illness and death.

A new study from the Cleveland Clinic has found that patients who smoked one pack a day for over 30 years (far right) were more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than those who had never smoked before ( leftmost)

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic examined more than 7,000 coronavirus patients, including more than 6,000 never-smokers and the rest being current or former smokers (file image)

Research linking smoking status to severe COVID-19 infection and death has been limited and conflicting.

At the beginning of last year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that cigarettes can increase the risk of contracting the disease.

“ People who smoke cigarettes may be at increased risk of infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 and may have worse outcomes with COVID-19, ” the agency said in a statement.

The FDA has previously warned of the coronavirus’ “ worst outcomes’ ‘in smokers, but did not say what that meant.

In addition, a French study found that only 4.4% of 350 hospitalized coronavirus patients were regular smokers and hypothesized that nicotine could prevent the virus from infecting cells.

For the new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the team looked at data from all patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Cleveland Clinic health system in Ohio and Florida between March 8, 2020 and March 25, 2020. August 2020.

Patients who had smoked for over 30 years were 1.9 times more likely to die from the virus than those who had never smoked before. Pictured: Chaplain Kevin Deegan lays his hand on the head of a COVID-19 patient while praying for him at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, January 9, 2021

Of the 7,102 patients, the majority – 84.8 percent or 6,020 – had never smoked before.

Almost 13 percent were former smokers and about 2.4 percent were current smokers.

A total of 341 smoked or had smoked a pack per day between zero and 10 years, 400 had been doing so for 10 to 30 years and 341 smoked a pack per day for over 30 years.

The results showed that the longer the patients smoked, the higher their risk of hospitalization and death.

Patients who smoked at least one pack a day for 10 to 30 years were almost 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalized after being diagnosed with COVID-19 than patients who had never smoked.

Those who consumed one pack a day for over 30 years were 2.25 times more likely to be hospitalized for the disease.

The two were also about 1.5 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU.

When it comes to the risk of death, people who smoke from zero to 10 years have a 1.6 times higher probability of death, people who smoke for 10 to 30 years have a 1.5 times higher risk of death than people who have never smoked.

For those who smoked at least one pack a day for over 30 years, patients were 1.9 times more likely to die.

The team said there was no difference in the risk of hospitalization and death between current and former smokers.

“The results of this study suggest that cumulative exposure to cigarette smoke is an independent risk factor for hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” they wrote.