Could nicotine protect against Covid-19 ?

Introduction


On March 23, 2020, Prof. Farsalinos, presented a meta-analysis of 5 Chinese studies on the prevalence of smoking among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. He compared it with that found in the general population. Exceptionally low figures were observed in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. This finding led to the hypothesis of a protective role of nicotine.

Figures, hypotheses and explanations


On April 3, Prof. Farsalinos published a new analysis of 13 different studies, supporting the figures of the first one. The complete text, submitted on April 6, 2020 to the journal Internal & Emergency Medicine, accepted but not yet published, is available here.

The work of Prof. Farsalinos has inspired many specialists, such as researchers at the Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris.

Various health specialists spoke on the subject. Here are the main elements :

Figures show that in France, out of 11,000 patients admitted to hospital at the beginning of April, only 8.5% were smokers. This is a very low proportion compared to the number of smokers in the country (25.4%). In China, only 12.6% of those infected were smokers, although the proportion of smokers in the population is 28%.

The finding is that there are 5 times less smokers among people infected with coronavirus, whether in consultation or in hospital. This represents 80% less than expected !

But why ?
The hypothesis is that nicotine could have a barrier effect against the coronavirus. Meaning, it would prevent the virus from penetrating and attaching itself to cells. It would be linked to the module of a cellular receptor called ACE2, which happens to be a gateway for the coronavirus into our cells.
And, nicotine may reduce the excessive immune response that generates the most severe cases.
Another hypothesis is that abrupt nicotine withdrawal, such as hospitalization, could worsen the condition of patients with the virus.

What's next ?
On the basis of these findings, French researchers will launch a new clinical trial : nicotine patches will be administered to carers as preventive care, hospitalized patients and patients in intensive care. A rigorous evaluation of these approaches is being set up with the support of the French Ministry of Health.
However, Prof. Dautzenberg stresses that "we must be very vigilant about the side effects of nicotine, especially for non-smokers". Indeed, nicotine is known for being highly addictive, which is its main fault.

To sum up : "You don't cure a flu by shooting yourself in the lungs, the cure must not be worse than the disease" - Bertrand Dautzenberg

Of course, you should not get a pack of cigarettes to protect yourself from COVID-19. We are talking about nicotine here and not cigarettes ! And, studies must confirm that the hypotheses put forward are correct. Therefore, you should not rush to the pharmacy to buy nicotine patches either or increase the nicotine dosage in your vape.

Whether these results are in line with the findings to date or not, many experts are unanimous : it’s better to switch to vaping than to continue smoking ! Not only it’s 95% less harmful than cigarettes, it also doesn’t cause co-morbidities related to aggravating factors such as cardiovascular disorders.

Conclusion


Researchers found a significant difference between the prevalence of smokers with COVID-19 in outpatient and inpatient compared to the prevalence of smokers in the population in several countries.
The hypothesis is that nicotine has a barrier effect against the coronavirus.
Studies are now needed to confirm or disprove this hypothesis.

Thank you for reading.

The Sweetch Team

Sources