bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Smokers are 80 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital and significantly more likely to die from Covid-19 than non-smokers, new research shows.
The study, led by Oxford University, is the first of its kind to look at both observational and genetic data on smoking and coronavirus. Until now, experts said, there has been conflicting data on the extent to which smoking affects the risk of hospital admission from Covid-19.
To address the issue, the team looked at primary care records, Covid test results, hospital admissions data and death certificates.
Overall, some 421,469 people were included in the research.
Among them, 1,649 tested positive for Covid, 968 were admitted to hospital related to the virus and 444 people died with Covid-19.
Most (59 per cent) of the overall group had never smoked, over a third (37 per cent) were former smokers and 4 per cent were current smokers.
Among current smokers, most (71 per cent) were light or moderate smokers (one to 19 cigarettes per day) and 29 per cent were heavy smokers (20 or more per day).
The results showed that, compared with never-smokers, current smokers had an 80 per cent higher risk of hospital admission with Covid-19.


They were twice as likely to die if they smoked one to nine cigarettes a day, while those smoking 10 to 19 cigarettes a day were almost six times more likely to die.
Among heavier smokers, people who smoked more than 20 a day were over six times more likely to die compared to people who had never smoked.
Genetic analysis showed that among those genetically more likely to smoke, there was a higher risk of Covid infection and hospital admissions.
UK man had ‘longest Covid’ for 305 days, ‘wife arranged funeral 5 times’
The authors concluded that their “results from two analytical approaches support a causal effect of smoking on risk of severe Covid-19".
Dr Ashley Clift, the lead researcher from Oxford, said: “Our results strongly suggest that smoking is related to your risk of getting severe Covid, and just as smoking affects your risk of heart disease, different cancers, and all those other conditions we know smoking is linked to, it appears that it's the same for Covid.
“So now might be as good a time as any to quit cigarettes and quit smoking.”




In an editorial accompanying the research, Dr Anthony Laverty and Dr Christopher Millett of Imperial College London said: “A respiratory pandemic should be the ideal moment to focus collective minds on tobacco control”.
The study was published in the journal Thorax.
A separate study, meanwhile, indicated that some people possess a version of a gene which can potentially restrain the virus which causes Covid-19.
Smoking control has helped Hongkongers live longer, new study shows
The findings offer an explanation for why some people have better natural defences against serious Sars-CoV-2 infection, say scientists.
Scientists suggest antiviral responses are better in people who have a more protective “prenylated” version of the OAS1 gene, while others have a version which fails to detect the virus.
But if new variants learn to evade the protection offered by the prenylated gene they could become “substantially more pathogenic and transmissible in unvaccinated populations”, say experts.
The study, called A prenylated dsRNA sensor protects against severe Covid-19, is published in the journal Science and is the result of work led by the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.


Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees ‘bleisure’ boom after pandemic curbs, CEO says

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs, surpass pre-Covid passenger levels

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat

Coronavirus pandemic

Smokers with Covid-19 at higher risk of hospitalisation: study

Until now, experts said, there has been conflicting data on the extent to which smoking affects the risk of hospital admission from Covid-19. Photo: TNS

Smoking control has helped Hongkongers live longer, new study shows, and researchers want lawmakers to stub out sales of e-cigarettes next

A group of elderly men sitting on a bench behind metal barricades that says ’No Entry', Tsim Sha Tsui. 04SEP20 SCMP / K. Y. Cheng

Hongkongers have the highest life expectancy in the world. Photo: Bloomberg

UK man had ‘longest Covid’ for 305 days, ‘wife arranged funeral 5 times’

A woman writes a message on the Covid-19 Memorial Wall in London. Photo: EPA

News

World

Coronavirus

Health & Medicine


New research shows smoking puts people with Covid-19 at greater risk of death
Separate study indicates some people may have gene that protects from severe Covid



Smokers are 80 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital and significantly more likely to die from Covid-19 than non-smokers, new research shows.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Smoking and vaping

Smokers with Covid-19 at higher risk of hospitalisation: study

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} New research shows smoking puts people with Covid-19 at greater risk of death Separate study indicates some people may have gene that protects from severe Covid

New research shows smoking puts people with Covid-19 at greater risk of death

Separate study indicates some people may have gene that protects from severe Covid