Tobacco: An invisible and immediate threat for COVID 19

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2020.v32i02SUPP.014

Keywords:

Tobacco, COVID-19

Abstract

One of the major steps to prevent damage due to any pandemic is to focus on risk factors related to the disease. Tobacco consumption is emerging as a major factor out of all for COVID 19. There is hardly any country who has warned the public about this or has made the Tobacco control measures stringent in view of COVID 19. Factors making tobacco consumers more vulnerable to COVID 19 infections are low immunity, damaged cilia in smaller air ways leading to decreased lung capacity and previous history of respiratory illness. Smokers have more expression of ACE2 receptor gene which is also responsible for SARS-COV-2 virus replication in host. More viral load makes smokers potent “carrier”. COVID 19 can be transmitted via tobacco consumers by sharing of smoked tobacco and release of vapour droplets. Spitting of smokeless tobacco in public places puts community at risk. Cardiovascular diseases and cancers caused by tobacco consumption act as comorbidities aggravating the symptoms in COVID 19 infection. Scope of FCTC framework can be extended to address prevention and control of COVID 19. Recommendations: tobacco products should be banned immediately to control the spread. MPOWER strategy of FCTC can be utilized in this pandemic to prevent transmission.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Liu W, Tao Z-W, Lei W, Ming-Li Y, Kui L, Ling Z, Shuang W, Yan D, Jing L, Liu H-G, Ming Y, Yi H. Analysis of factors associated with disease outcomes in hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus disease. Chinese Medical Journal 9000; Publish Ahead of Print.

Murin S, Bilello KS. Respiratory tract infections: another reason not to smoke. Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine 2005; 72: 916-920.

David Simons OP, Jamie Brown Covid-19: The role of smoking cessation during respiratory virus epidemics. The BMJ Opinion 2020.

Wu W, Patel KB, Booth JL, Zhang W, Metcalf JP. Cigarette smoke extract suppresses the RIG-I-initiated innate immune response to influenza virus in the human lung. American journal of physiology Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2011; 300: L821-830.

Halim AA AB, Embarak S, Yaseen T, Dabbous S. . Clinical characteristics and outcome of ICU admitted MERS corona virus infected patients. Egyptian Journal of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis 2016; 65: 81-87.

Wong CM, Yang L, Chan KP, Chan WM, Song L, Lai HK, Thach TQ, Ho LM, Chan KH, Lam TH, Peiris JS. Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for influenza-associated mortality: evidence from an elderly cohort. Influenza and other respiratory viruses 2013; 7: 531-539.

Atto B, Eapen MS, Sharma P, Frey U, Ammit AJ, Markos J, Chia C, Larby J, Haug G, Weber HC, Mabeza G, Tristram S, Myers S, Geraghty DP, Flanagan KL, Hansbro PM, Sohal SS. New therapeutic targets for the prevention of infectious acute exacerbations of COPD: role of epithelial adhesion molecules and inflammatory pathways. Clin Sci (Lond) 2019; 133: 1663-1703.

Eapen MS, Sohal SS. Understanding novel mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis in chronic lung disease: implications for new therapeutic targets. Clin Sci (Lond) 2018; 132: 375-379.

Brake SJ BK, Lu W, McAlinden KD, Eapen MS, Sohal SS. Smoking Upregulates Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 Receptor: A Potential Adhesion Site for Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). Journal of Clinical Medicine 2020; 9: 841.

Leung JM, Yang CX, Tam A, Shaipanich T, Hackett TL, Singhera GK, Dorscheid DR, Sin DD. ACE-2 Expression in the Small Airway Epithelia of Smokers and COPD Patients: Implications for COVID-19. medRxiv 2020: 2020.2003.2018.20038455.

Petit A, Knabe L, Khelloufi K, Jory M, Gras D, Cabon Y, Begg M, Richard S, Massiera G, Chanez P, Vachier I, Bourdin A. Bronchial Epithelial Calcium Metabolism Impairment in Smokers and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Decreased ORAI3 Signaling. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2019 Oct;61(4):501-511.

Cai G. Tobacco-Use Disparity in Gene Expression of ACE2, the Receptor of 2019-nCov. . Preprints 2020, 2020020051 (wwwpreprintsorg) 2020.

Wang JL, Q.; Chen, R.; Chen, T.; Li, J. Susceptibility Analysis of COVID-19 in Smokers Based on ACE2. . 2020.

Sohal SS, Eapen MS, Naidu VGM, Sharma P. IQOS exposure impairs human airway cell homeostasis: direct comparison with traditional cigarette and e-cigarette. ERJ Open Res 2019; 5.

Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan ZBT, Mehdi Fazlzadeh, Kenneth D Ward, Wasim Maziak. Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: A Potential Conduit of COVID-19. BMJ Tobacco Control 2020

Downloads

Published

2020-04-20

How to Cite

1.
Garg S, Deshmukh C. Tobacco: An invisible and immediate threat for COVID 19. Indian J Community Health [Internet]. 2020 Apr. 20 [cited 2024 Oct. 5];32(2 (Supp):248-50. Available from: https://www.iapsmupuk.org/journal/index.php/IJCH/article/view/1466

Issue

Section

Perspective

Dimensions Badge

Most read articles by the same author(s)