French researchers are planning to use nicotine patches on coronavirus patients to see if it will help prevent or lessen the effects of the deadly virus. There is evidence showing that the proportion of smokers infected with coronavirus is much lower than the rates in the general population.
Scientists are now questioning whether nicotine could help stop the virus from infecting cells, or if it may prevent the immune system from overreacting to the infection. Doctors at a hospital in Paris are now planning to give nicotine patches to COVID-19 patients. They are also planning to give them to those in the front line to see if the stimulant has any effect on preventing the spread of the virus.
When did the speculation start?
The whole idea about nicotine patches came after world-famous artist David Hockney said that he believes smoking could protect people against the coronavirus. One study in China, where the pandemic began, showed that only 6.5% of COVID-19 patients were smokers, compared to 26.6% of the population.
In another study done by the Centers for Disease Control or the CDC in the US, only 1.3% of hospitalized patients were smokers compared to 14% of American coronavirus patients. The research by hospitals in Paris found that smokers were underrepresented in both inpatients and outpatients, suggesting that any protective effect could affect anyone, not just those who are hospitalized by their illness.
The French study was performed at Pitié Salpêtrière, the researchers used data from 480 patients who tested positive for the virus. Around 350 were hospitalized while the rest stayed at home. The results showed that of the patients hospitalized, with a median age of 65, only 4.4% were regular smokers. But among those at home, with a median age 44, 5.3% smoked.
The researchers determined that far fewer smokers seem to have contracted the virus, or if they have, their symptoms are less serious. The team who did the study emphasized that they are not advocating that anyone starts smoking because cigarettes have fatal health risks.
French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux reviewed the study and told The Guardian that nicotine may be hindering the virus from entering the body's cells. The study focused on statistics but pointed to past research which suggested that nicotine may alter receptors inside the body called ACE-2 receptors, which the virus relies on as its gateway into the body. Any protective effect may work for people with any level of infection, not just those with severe illness.
The FDA's take
The US Food and Drug Administration or FDA said that cigarettes can increase the risk of contracting the disease. The agency told Bloomberg News that people who smoke cigarettes may be at increased risk of infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 and may have worse outcomes from COVID-19.
The FDA has warned about worse outcomes from coronavirus among smokers but did not specify what that meant. The governments in both the UK and the US urge people to stop smoking in order to protect themselves from the virus, but scientists admit that there is no clear proof that cigarettes can worsen the disease. The debate on whether or not smoking can protect people from the coronavirus is still unclear and needs further research.
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