Six questions and answers about smoking in times of covid-19, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day

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Watch the covid-19 attack on the lungs in 3D 1:16

(CNN Spanish) - Tobacco smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to covid-19 than non-smokers, according to the World Health Organization. In the midst of the global pandemic, when coronavirus cases approach 6 million worldwide, it is important to draw attention to tobacco use and the serious consequences it has for people's health, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day , this May 31.

Despite the fact that there is still a lot of information that we do not know about covid-19, a disease that mainly attacks the airways, recent research has pointed out the disadvantage that smokers have compared to the coronavirus, due to its "impaired lung function" due to this habit, according to the WHO.

In a world where, by 2018, there were just over 1.3 million tobacco smokers, according to the WHO, it is important to follow advice from the global health authority in a pandemic: "Quit smoking today to reduce those risks and start living a healthier life. "

Dr. John Maa, a former president of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, said, last month in a column for CNN, that "the current pandemic of covid-19 may serve as a similar warning call for smokers to stop quickly."

Here are some questions and answers about smoking and the coronavirus

Are smokers at higher risk for covid-19?

As we said before, yes, due to the deterioration of the lungs of a person who smokes, according to the WHO. And according to a recent study at the University of California, San Francisco, smokers and ex-smokers have a significantly higher risk of developing severe cases of covid-19 and dying from the disease than nonsmokers.

The study, which analyzed 19 peer-reviewed articles from China, South Korea, and the United States, found that 30% of smokers developed more severe forms of covid-19 compared to 17.6% of nonsmokers.

"Smoking and e-cigarette use increase the risk and severity of lung infections due to damage to the upper airways and a decrease in overall lung immune function, although these effects have not yet been studied for SARS-VOC -2, the virus that causes covid-19, "the researchers wrote.

Are I more likely to develop more severe symptoms of covid-19 if I am a smoker?

It is probable. Because covid-19 is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs, lungs impaired by tobacco use cannot fight coronavirus like healthy lungs, and generally with other respiratory conditions, according to the WHO.

"The available research data to date seems to indicate that smokers have an increased risk of developing severe symptoms and dying from COVID-19," adds the WHO.

And what about electronic cigarettes? Can they make you more likely to get coronavirus?

Electronic cigarettes or vapers can increase the risk of heart disease and lung disorders, and can harm the developing brain, says the WHO.

The WHO says that although, so far, there has been no correlation between the consumption of electronic cigarettes and vapers and the coronavirus; however, "putting your hand close to your mouth when using an electronic cigarette can increase the risk of infection." And of course, as it is a product that is harmful to respiratory health, the lungs can lose their ability to respond to an attack by viruses or bacteria.

Does using tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco or nicotine gum reduce the risk of coronavirus infection?

Although you could stop inhaling nicotine or introduce smoke into your lungs, remember a basic rule to avoid the spread of the coronavirus: do not touch your face, eyes, nose, or mouth, since in general the viruses and bacteria in your Hands can slide into your body through these cavities.

"Viruses that affect the respiratory system enter the body through the mucous membranes found in the nose, oral cavity, and lips," Dr. Dawn Mueni Becker, an infectious disease specialist in Gainesville, previously told CNN. , Florida.

Thus, the WHO recalls that the consumption of these tobacco products (even the very act of smoking ordinary cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, vapers) "often involves some kind of contact between the hand and the mouth". In addition, according to the organization, there is another risk when chewing tobacco, for example: that the virus spreads when the person spits out the excess saliva produced by chewing the tobacco leaf.

So yes, the risk remains.

And does smoking marijuana increase the risk of covid-19?

Although according to Dr. Elmer Huerta, expert in Public Health and CNN collaborator, in his Podcast “Coronavirus: Reality vs. fiction ”, the risk of marijuana smokers to coronavirus complications has not been studied, yes there is a risk for the simple act of putting smoke in your lungs when smoking marijuana.

It turns out that when you smoke cannabis there is a degree of inflammation in your lungs that resembles bronchitis, very similar to when you smoke cigarettes, Albert Rizzo, a pulmonologist and medical director of the American Lung Association, previously told CNN. So if you have inflammation in the airways (not from viruses, but from smoking cannabis), you could have more complications and more risk of respiratory infections, including coronavirus.

What if it's just a little bit to calm pandemic anxiety?

Well, according to Dr. Mitchell Glass, a pulmonologist and spokesperson for the American Lung Association, that inflammation caused by cannabis makes it harder for a doctor to diagnose your symptoms if you get covid-19 (or any other lung disease). .

"You shouldn't be doing anything that could confuse the ability of healthcare workers to make a quick and accurate assessment of what's going on with you," he told CNN.

• Smoking marijuana and coronavirus: even occasional use increases the risk of complications from covid-19

Have effects of nicotine been found in the context of covid-19?

According to the WHO, "There is currently insufficient information to confirm any link between tobacco or nicotine and the prevention or treatment of COVID-19."

However, there is simpler advice from the world health authority: "Now is a good time to kick the habit completely."

But if it is very difficult for you to quit smoking, the WHO recommends the importance of maintaining physical distance, constantly washing your hands and not sharing any tobacco or cigarette product with anyone.

World No Tobacco Day