RESEARCH into risk factors for Covid-19-related infection, hospitalisation and outcomes is a rapidly evolving field, and no peer-reviewed studies have yet directly evaluated the risk of Covid-19-related hospitalisation among smokers.
However, in an effort to gain insight into this risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reviewed data from 34 peer-reviewed studies (26 observational studies and eight meta-analyses) among patients hospitalised with Covid-19.
Although these studies did not provide data that would allow for quantification of the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or Covid-19-related hospitalisation, the available evidence suggests that there is an association between smoking and the severity of disease/death in patients with Covid-19.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified smoking as a factor that may increase the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 for both current and former smokers.
Based on these findings and the well-established negative effects of tobacco use on multiple aspects
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