THE EFFECT OF SMOKING ON COVID-19 PATIENTS; A CROSS- SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: The respiratory system is the primary target of COVID-19, leading to a severe acute respiratory syndrome induced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While recent research shows that smokers respond differently to the COVID-19 epidemic, little is known about the causes underlying the range of reactions that have been observed, such as the fact that some people smoke more while others smoke less. This study aims to investigate the fundamental causes of the disparate responses to smoking behavior during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in order to provide an appropriate justification for these different responses.

Methodology: An online national survey of adults (n = 86) aged above 18 years was conducted in different college/university students of Pakistan by sending  online link of Google forms to their Email and Social accounts in March 2021 to May 2021.

Results: Gender distribution shows 98% were male, 2% of them were females. 65% participants were Bachelor. 95% of Participants didn’t have any chronic disease, 55% were regular smokers, 53% had acquired COVID-19 infection once as shown in table 1.When participants were asked if they had any change in their smoking habit after COVID-19 pandemic, 46% were non-smokers, why half of rest 54% tended to smoke less after COVID-19 pandemic. 16 percent stated they are smoking more than usual while 9% were smoking as they were before pandemic as shown in table 2.

Conclusion: Smoking increases symptom severity and the likelihood of serious respiratory infections. Problems might arise from the increased susceptibility. Moreover, smoking damages the lungs, making them more vulnerable to the problems caused by SARS-CoV-2. Smokers may have increased difficulty in coping with the virus due to the detrimental consequences of smoking on the health of the lungs, which further increases vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2.