Prognosis
Smoking Helps Open Gateway to Coronavirus Infection, Study Shows
- Cigarette use may elevate enzymes that allow virus to get in
- Study by St. Paul’s Hospital published in medical journal
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Smoking may raise the risk of Covid-19 by elevating enzymes that allow the coronavirus to gain access into lung cells, according to a new study.
Smokers and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may have elevated levels of an enzyme called ACE-2, which helps the virus enter cells in their lungs, where it replicates, a study published in the European Respiratory Journal Thursday showed.