Open AccessSmoking and COVID 19: Analysing this controversy in a Brazilian COVID-19 Reference Centre
Author(s) -
Thiago Prudente Bártholo,
Luís Cristóvão Porto,
Cláudia Henrique da Costa,
Agnaldo José Lopes,
Nadja P. Graça,
Fernanda O. Chibante,
Elizabeth Jauhar Cardoso Bessa,
Alessandra Sant’Anunes,
Rogério R. Rufino
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
brazilian journal of health and biomedical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2674-8207
DOI - 10.12957/bjhbs.2021.63961
Subject(s) - covid-19 , medicine , asymptomatic , context (archaeology) , pandemic , disease , demography , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , outbreak , paleontology , biology , sociology
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremelyimportant to determine the risk factors that definepatients who are more susceptible to the severe form ofthe disease; however, the observation of supposedly protectivefactors is also of great relevance. Smoking has beenthe subject of controversy as to whether it is a protectivefactor or a risk factor for COVID-19. Objective: To assesshow smokers behave within the context of the COVID-19pandemic. Patients and methods: The participants in thisstudy were a spontaneously recruited sample from the Riode Janeiro State University COVID-19 Reference Centre,between March and May 2020. All patients underwentclinical, laboratory, and nasal swabs for the Sars-Cov-2 PCRinvestigation. Whenever it was the necessary case, patientswere referred to hospitalization. Results: A total of 4,636patients with suggestive symptoms of COVID were evaluated.There was 230 (4.9%) smokers in this group; there isa 10.3% smoking prevalence in the state of Rio de Janeiroas described in 2018. A number of 2,246 patients (48.6% ofthe total sample) were diagnosed with COVID-19, only 82of these (3.7% of the total positive COVID) were smokers.Only 1 (0.01%) of the smokers with COVID-19 neededhospitalization. As far as the assessed symptoms, smokersshowed fewer symptoms during the disease. Conclusion:The study suggests that smokers have fewer symptoms(mild or asymptomatic symptoms) and that there is a needto expand specific testing for that group.