In the latest reports during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers and scientists are coming up with new strategies to cope up with COVID-19. During the latest reports, French researchers are planning to test COVID-19 patients and healthcare workers with nicotine patches. Different studies and research indicate that smokers are at less risk to suffer from COVID-19. According to the study conducted at the Paris hospital, it is suggested that cigarettes have a substance named nicotine which aids in preventing the people to catch coronavirus. The researchers are waiting for the approval of higher clinical authorities so that they can conduct clinical trials for the nicotine patches.
CLINICAL TRIALS FOR VERIFYING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NICOTINE ON CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS:
Researchers also explain that they are not encouraging people to start up with smoking as it causes serious health risk issues. It can cause fatal adverse effects and kills around 50% of the people who intake it. We do admit that nicotine aids in offering protection to the people against the virus but the smokers who contract the virus do suffer from severe symptoms when compared to other individuals. It is because tobacco smoking has severe toxic effects over the lungs of an individual. The team who worked at Pitte- Salpetriere hospital questioned the 480 patients who were admitted at the hospital due to the contraction of coronavirus. 350 out of 480 patients were hospitalized while the rest of them developed milder symptoms and were allowed to go home. It was seen that patients who were admitted to the hospital with the median age of around 65 years, only 4.4% of the people were seen as regular smokers. And the patients who were released to go home were 5.3% smokers with a median age of around 44 years.
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EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS:
The researchers then took the account of gender and age of the patients where they discovered that the number of smokers was comparatively lower when compared to the general population as estimated by Santé Publique which is a French Health Authority. 40% of the people aged between 44-53 years whereas 8.8%-11.3% aged between 65-75 years old. The famous French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux reviewed the same study and suggested the use of nicotine for preventing the rapid spread of the coronavirus to the lung cells. He further explained that nicotine can also work as an immunosuppressant where it prevents the overreaction of the immune system of the body against the coronavirus. These findings are however still awaited for verification during a clinical study which is to be conducted on healthcare professionals, coronavirus patients, and those who are admitted in intensive care units for the effectiveness of nicotine patches.
CHINESE STUDY REGARDING SMOKERS AND THE CONTRACTION OF CORONAVIRUS:
According to a Chinese study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine during March where it suggested that in 1000 people who are affected with the virus only 12.6% were smokers while the total number of smokers in China is around 28%. The figures in France showed that the 11000 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Paris hospitals, only 8.5% were smokers. However, the total number of smokers in France is around 25.4%. Another study was conducted by the CDC in the US where they found that 1.3% of the admitted patients at the hospital were smokers when compared to the total 14% Americans who are smokers. The report authors at Pitie- Salpetriere wrote down that the cross-sectional study strongly suggests that the people who smoke on regular basis are less likely to undergo symptoms of COVID-19 or become severely ill because of SARS-COV-2 when compared to the general population. It was also added that the effects are significant which divided the risk by 5 for the ambulatory patients and by 4 for the patients admitted at the hospital. And the report also indicated that we rarely see these effects in medicine.
References : Qeios , The Guardian