Smoking increases the risk of illness and viral infection, including type of coronavirus

A new study led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers shows that current smokers have a 12% increased risk of a laboratory-confirmed viral infection and a 48% increased risk of being diagnosed with respiratory illnesses. These results did not vary by type of virus, including a coronavirus.

In combination with past findings, the current findings published today in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal support urgent recommendations to increase tobacco control efforts for countering COVID-19.

“Past research has shown that smoking increases the risk of COVID-19 disease severity, but the risk of infection had been less clear,” said UC Davis tobacco researcher and lead author of the study Melanie Dove. “Our study findings show smokers have an increased risk of viral infection, including a coronavirus and respiratory illness.”

Study results

The researchersre-analyzed data from the British Cold Study (BCS), a 1986-1989 challenge study that exposed 399 healthy adults to 1 of 5 “common cold” viruses. This included a type of common coronavirus (coronavirus 229E) that existed prior to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 virus), which causes COVID-19 disease. Data from the British Cold Study is available on the Carnegie Mellon University The Common Cold Project website

The UC Davis researchers calculated overall and coronavirus-specific unadjusted and adjusted relative risks for current smokers and each outcome (infection and illness), testing whether each association was modified by type of respiratory virus.

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