COVID 19: Smoking is the biggest risk factor – but why?

At the risk of the actuators for heavy-COVID-19-diseases, caused by the new Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is Smoking often in the first place called. So far, the assumption that this is due to existing damage to the lungs was, however, a recent study has discovered a further Declaration at the cellular level.

“Smokers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) expressing in your Airways increased the ACE2 Receptor, the SARS-corona virus get into the cells,” reported the German medical journal of the new study results. Herein, an explanation for the increased risk of serious COVID-19-gradients could be. Was published the study in the journal “European Respiratory Journal”.

Smokers with increased ACE-2-values

It is known that the Receptor ACE-2 is formed on the surface of the lung cells, the portal of Entry through which the Coronavirus in the lung cells and cause infection can penetrate. The research team led by Dr. Janice Leung, University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver (Canada) has examined specimens from the lung tissue of 21 COPD patients and 21 individuals without COPD, and the ACE-2 concentration checks. You not only found higher ACE-2-values in COPD patients, but in particular also in the case of persons who were active smokers.

Furthermore, they checked their results on the basis of two existing study groups with a total of 249 persons of which some non-Smoking and some current smokers and some ex-smokers were. It showed that the ACE-2 values for current smokers are higher, were non-smokers and former smokers, but lower.

Stop Smoking for protection against the Coronavirus?

“We found that patients with COPD and in people who smoke, the higher ACE-2-values in your Airways, causing you may be exposed to an increased risk to develop severe COVID-19-infections,” says Dr. Janice Leung. Furthermore, it was shown that “ex-smokers similar values of ACE-2 showed how people who had never smoked.” An immediate smoke could stop, probably for protection from COVID-19 contribute. (fp)