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Smoking Is Associated With COVID-19 Progression: A Meta-analysis
Roengrudee Patanavanich1,2, Stanton A Glantz1
1Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Smoking significantly increases the risk of COVID-19 progression. Smokers are nearly twice as likely to experience worse outcomes from the infectious disease, highlighting the need for cessation interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Smoking impairs pulmonary immune function, increasing susceptibility to infections.
- Smoking is a known risk factor for severe outcomes in various infectious diseases.
- The impact of smoking on COVID-19 progression requires detailed investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis on the association between smoking and the progression of COVID-19.
- To quantify the risk of severe outcomes for COVID-19 patients who smoke.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed using relevant keywords.
- Included studies reported smoking status and disease progression in COVID-19 patients.
- A random effects meta-analysis was applied to synthesize the data from 19 peer-reviewed papers.
Main Results:
- The analysis included 11,590 COVID-19 patients; 6.3% were smokers.
- Smokers had a significantly higher odds of COVID-19 progression (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.42-2.59).
- 29.8% of smokers experienced disease progression compared to 17.6% of non-smokers.
Conclusions:
- Smoking is a significant risk factor for COVID-19 progression.
- Smokers face higher odds of experiencing more severe disease outcomes.
- Smoking cessation should be integrated into clinical management to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic impact.
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