Smokers up to three times more likely to be infected by Covid-19 according to new study

According to a new study by the researchers at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) smokers are up to three times more at risk of being infected by Covid-19 compared to non-smokers. We spoke to Dr. Brigitte Gomperts, co-author of the study and Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at UCLA about what the research revealed and why it’s more important  than ever for smokers to quit the habit. 

Before embarking on the study, what information did you have about the risk faced by smokers from Covid-19?

When we started our study, it wasn’t clear to us whether cigarette smoking was a risk factor for severe COVID-19 or not. The research studies looking at smokers with COVID-19 were confusing and didn’t directly look at the interaction between smoking and COVID-19 in airway cells.

What were you aiming to find out in the study?

We were aiming to find out how direct cigarette smoke exposure effects COVID-19.

Can you describe the methodology behind the research?

We grew lung airway models in the dish in the lab from healthy non-smoker patients and either exposed them to cigarette smoke in a smoking chamber, or to room air in a separate chamber, for just 3 minutes per day for 4 days. We then infected the lung airway models with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Then we analysed the lung airway models to see how many cells were infected in each group.

What did the study show about the how likely smokers are to be infected by Covid-19?

The study showed that lung airway models first exposed to cigarette smoke before SARS-CoV-2 infection had 2-3 times more infected cells than the lung airway models from the same patient that were not exposed to cigarette smoke.

Why are smokers more likely to be infected by Covid-19?

We then studied why more cells are infected if they are first exposed to cigarette smoke before SARS-CoV-2 infection and found that cigarette smoking reduces the lung tissue defences against the virus. If you think of the airways like the high walls that protect a castle, smoking cigarettes is the equivalent of creating holes in these walls. Smoking reduces the natural defences, and this allows the virus to enter and take over the cells.

If smokers become ill with Covid-19 are they more likely to suffer more serious symptoms compared to non-smokers?

Based on our studies, we believe that current smokers are more likely to have more infected cells in their lungs and therefore be at risk for more serious COVID-19.

What would your message to smokers be based on the evidence from the study?

My message to smokers is that smoking puts you at increased risk for more severe COVID-19 and this is therefore a great time to stop smoking. There are many new products available to help you stop smoking and I would suggest that you contact your GP to find out more.

For free help and support to quit smoking contact NHS Wales’ smoking cessation service Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219 .

COPD – a guide for smokers

Superseded guide · 2020

This older COPD guide has been replaced by our current smoking and COPD guide, including current quitting support in Wales.

This World COPD Day we’ve written a guide to smokers about COPD and why quitting the habit will be the best decision they make.

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a respiratory condition that affects more than 70,000 people across Wales.

It is actually the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease.  The main symptoms of the condition are increasing breathlessness, a persistent cough with phlegm and frequent chest infections.

Across the UK an estimated 1.2 million people live with COPD, making it the second most common lung disease in the UK after asthma.

Although it can sometimes affect non-smokers, smoking is the main cause of COPD accounting for around 9 in every 10 cases. Smoking causes COPD by irritating and inflaming the lining of the lungs causing scarring. Over the years this inflammation causes permanent damage to the lungs – the walls of the airways thicken and more mucous is produced.  As the delicate walls of the air sacs in the lungs are damaged the lungs lose their elasticity leading to emphysema.  Breathlessness, coughing and phlegm is the result of the airways becoming scarred and narrowed.

Many smokers dismiss these symptoms as just a ‘smoker’s cough’, which means the condition can go undiagnosed for years.  Early diagnosis is really important however as it means treatment can be given to try to slow the deterioration of the lungs so contact your GP if you have concerns.

If you smoke the single most important way to reduce your risk of getting the condition is to quit now.  If you’re a smoker who has been diagnosed with COPD then it’s really important that you give up to stop the COPD from getting any worse.

Although the damage smoking has caused to your lungs cannot be reversed the good news is that you can at least prevent any further damage by quitting the habit.

Research has shown that you are up to four times more likely to quit for good if you use stop smoking medication alongside receiving support from a specialised stop smoking advisor.  So why not take the first step by calling  Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219 for free stop smoking advice and support.

Meanwhile you can read Ian’s story to find out more about living with COPD.

Is smoking burning a hole in your finances?

Is your money going up in smoke? This Talk Money Week, we’ve taken a look at why it’s so important to open up about how smoking is affecting your finances and how to start those difficult conversations:

It’s not easy to talk about money.  If you’re in debt or spending beyond your means, you may find it hard to face up to the truth, let alone admit it to friend or loved one.

Many of us hide the truth about our financial situations, even from those closest to us.  You may have secret credit bills or unpaid debts.  Or perhaps you just don’t want to admit how hard you’re finding it paying for the basics.

As well as having a big impact on our mental health, financial worries can also have a devastating effect on our relationships, with money being the biggest cause of conflict in couple’s relationships according to the charity Relate.

For smokers, conversations about money and opening up about how much they spend on funding their habit can be particularly difficult.

Smoking is a powerful addiction. And when caught in the grips of that addiction, smokers will often run up debts or sacrifice spending on other essentials just so they can afford to smoke.

The Covid-19 pandemic has put many people under huge financial pressure. Many have lost their jobs. Others, particularly the self-employed, have experienced a crushing loss of income.  According to the debt charity Step Change, 2.8 million people across the UK have fallen into arrears since the start of lockdown with part time workers, young people and the self-employed, the worst hit financially. Yet, according to the Money and Pensions Advice Service 9 out of 10 adults don’t find it any easier to talk about money now than they did before the pandemic

As we continue to face financial uncertainty it’s important to talk honestly about the role that smoking plays in your financial situation. Here are some facts to get you thinking:

20 a day smokers spend on average £72 a week, £312 a month and £3796 on cigarettes

10 a day smokers spend on average £156 a month and £1898 a year on cigarettes

If you smoke rollies you’ll be spending £480 a year for five a day, £960 a year for 10 a day and £1921 a year for 20 a day.

Starting an honest conversation about how smoking is affecting your finances won’t be easy. But it’s the crucial first step to finding a way to live without smoking.

smoking, how to quit, quit smoking tips, quit smoking blogIf you’re a non-smoker who wants to start a conversation with a loved one about how smoking is affecting their finances or your family’s financial situation, the Money & Pensions Service has published these great tips on how best to start talking about money:

Create a comfortable setting: You might feel more at ease chatting over a cup of tea, as you go for a walk or at your kitchen table so you can lay out any paperwork. Try to minimise interruptions; put phones on silent.

Prepare how you’re going to kick it off: Sometimes the hardest part of having a conversation is knowing how to start. Once you’re past the first few seconds, you might be surprised by how easily the conversation flows. If you see a news bulletin relevant to your situation, use this as a springboard to initiate a conversation – it’s a useful way to break the ice and to remember that many people are in the same boat right now.

Listen as well as talk: Try to make sure you go into the discussion with an open mind, being prepared to take in the other person’s point of view. Hearing one another’s standpoint in a respectful way can make the difference between having a constructive conversation versus an unproductive argument.

Check in with friends and family: Once you’ve made the first step to opening up about your financial worries, you can help others to do the same. Never force someone into a conversation as they’ll only be defensive, but do remind them you’re here to chat if they need support.

Choose who you open up to: Try not to have preconceptions about whom you should have these conversations with. You might find it easier to speak to someone who may not be directly impacted by your money worries, like a friend or professional.

For free stop smoking advice and support in Wales contact Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219.

Mental health and smoking – a guide for men

This Men’s Mental Health Month, we take a look at how smoking can affect men’s state of mind.

Smoking has a devastating effect on the mental and physical health of men across the UK. In Wales, where smoking prevalence is highest among men,  smoking remains the highest cause of avoidable early death in men.

As well as having a devastating impact on men’s health, smoking also affects their state of mind. This is partly due to the health anxiety linked to an addiction that is the leading cause of lung cancer and of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  Every cigarette smoked contains thousands of chemicals, many of which cause cancer.  And for every 15 cigarettes a person smokes, a mutation will occur in their body’s cells that could lead to cancer.

Healthcare
Healthcare

For men there are specific health conditions that can be caused or exacerbated by smoking.  Smoking is a major cause of low sperm count and impotence and it affects the flow of blood to the penis.  An Australian study carried out by researchers from Imperial College London in 2006 found that men who smoke a pack or more of cigarettes daily are nearly 40% more likely to be impotent than non-smokers. Meanwhile even smoking less than 20 cigarettes a day was found to increase the risk of impotence by 24%. It can also be linked to prostate cancer, with research by Prostate Cancer UK showing that smoking can make prostate cancer more likely to grow and spread around the body.

Although many smokers say they smoke to alleviate feelings of anxiety in stressful situations, smoking and more specifically nicotine withdrawal can be a major source of anxiety in itself. The jittery anxious feeling you get when you crave a cigarette is a symptom of nicotine withdrawal. Smokers start to feel calm again as soon as they take their first drag as nicotine floods into their system reaching the brain within just ten seconds. That feeling is short lived however, and it won’t be long before the smoker start to feel anxious, jittery and tense again as the cycle of withdrawal and cravings begins again.

The more smokers feed the addiction , the more intense their cravings will become over time as the brain demands more nicotine. These withdrawal symptoms and cigarette cravings trigger anxiety symptoms which can only be relieved by smoking a cigarette.

Worries over finances are one of the biggest causes of stress and sleepless nights with a survey by the Money Advice Service in 2018 revealing that nearly two thirds of Britons were concerned that money worries had affected the mental health of somebody they know. The burden of having to fund a costly addiction like smoking can greatly exacerbate these worries. A 20-a-day smoker will spend on average £72 a week on cigarettes. That’s £312 a month and a whopping £3796 a year. Meanwhile smoking 10 cigarettes a day will cost £156 a month and £1898 a year – that’s a lot of extra cash to find. And if you smoke rollies, your habit won’t come cheap either with the cost of smoking 20 rollies a day at £1921 a year.  For those smokers that do quit the habit, a huge financial burden is lifted, playing a big role in improving mental health.

While there’s no doubt that smoking takes it toll on mental health, the good news is that quitting the habit brings big rewards. According to the NHS those that give up experience improved mental health and lower rates of depression and anxiety.  In Wales free stop smoking help and support is available from the NHS Wales Help Me Quit.

Visit the website or call the helpline today to begin your journey to better mental health.

New anti-smoking laws set to tackle youth smoking prevalence in Wales

NEW laws banning smoking in schools and playgrounds could play a major role in reducing youth smoking prevalence in Wales as new figures reveal 81% of the country’s 467,000 smokers were under 18 when they tried their first cigarette.

The regulations, which were due to be debated in the Senedd today (October 20th), will come into force on March 1st as part of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 and are the latest in a raft of Welsh Government measures to de-normalise smoking, reduce prevalence, and protect non-smokers.

There is an urgent need for action to tackle youth smoking in Wales where 9% of 15-16-year olds smoke on a regular basis, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2013. ASH Wales’ latest YouGov Survey shows 51% of current smokers were 16 or under when they tried their first cigarette and over 80% under 18.

The survey also revealed overwhelming public support for measures to protect children from smoking, with 82% of respondents saying smoking should be banned in outdoor areas where children play sport – a move recently adopted by the Football Association of Wales.

When asked about Welsh Government action to limit smoking 43% of the Welsh public think they are not doing enough with only 10% saying they are doing too much.  Meanwhile 68% said they would support the setting of an endgame target to reduce smoking to less than 5% of the population by 2030.

Wales’s youth smoking rates have failed to fall since 2013 and, according to Cardiff University’s School Health Research Network (SHRN) 2019 Student Health and Wellbeing Survey, 15-16 years olds from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to smoke (14%) as those from the more affluent (7%).

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales said:

“We cannot stress enough how vitally important it is to stop today’s children in Wales from becoming the next generation of adult smokers. This is a lifelong addiction that all too often begins in childhood from the moment children try their first puff on a cigarette.

“Smoking is the leading cause of premature death in Wales, killing thousands of people every year and causing dire health inequalities across the country. We now also know smokers are at significantly higher risk of suffering more severe symptoms if they catch Covid-19.

“Banning smoking in areas like children’s playgrounds and school grounds will provide a huge opportunity to de-normalise children’s perception of smoking so they no longer view it as an acceptable everyday activity.

“Alongside this legislation however, more funding is needed to provide targeted smoking cessation support for young smokers and meaningful education to raise awareness of the harms of smoking among those who have not yet started.”

ASH Wales’ YouGov survey showed that there is strong support for more action to tackle youth smoking prevalence in Wales, with 62% of those surveyed saying they support raising the age of sale for tobacco from 18 to 21 and 68% in favour of increasing government investment in public education campaigns on smoking aimed at adults and children.

Five reasons why quitting smoking is good for your mental health

For World Mental Health Day 2020 we’ve listed five reasons why your mental health could improve if you quit smoking:

Stress and anxiety

Lots of people say the reason why they smoke is because it helps them to deal with stress with many smokers automatically reaching for a cigarette when the going gets tough. But what many smokers don’t realise is that it’s the smoking that causes them to feeling stressed out.

The jittery anxious feeling you get when you crave a cigarette is a symptom of nicotine withdrawal. You’ll start to feel calm again as soon as you take your first drag as nicotine floods into your system reaching your brain within just ten seconds. That feeling is short lived however, and it won’t be long before you start to feel anxious, jittery and tense again as the cycle of withdrawal and cravings begins again.

And the more you feed you addiction with nicotine, the more intense your cravings will become over time. These withdrawal symptoms and cigarette cravings trigger anxiety symptoms which can only be relieved by smoking a cigarette. This is how nicotine addiction works. Those who successfully manage to quit smoking however, are free of that addiction and the continual cycle of withdrawal that gets stronger the more you smoke.

Financial problems

Money worries take their toll on your mental health and many smokers fall into debt as result of their habit.

A 20-a-day smoker will spend on average £72 a week on cigarettes. That’s £312 a month and a whopping £3796 a year. Meanwhile smoking 10 cigarettes a day will cost £156 a month and £1898 a year – that’s a lot of extra cash to find.

And if you smoke rollies, your habit won’t come cheap either with the cost of smoking 20 rollies a day at £1921 a year.

Quitting smoking will take away that financial pressure, meaning you’ll be better off and could have spare money to spend on activities that improve your well-being.

Depression

It is unclear whether smoking leads to depression or vice versa however, according to the Mental Health Foundation, smoking rates in the UK, are around twice as high among adults with depression as among the general population.    It can be more challenging for people suffering from depression to give up smoking.

Nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain which is the chemical responsible for triggering positive feelings. Those with depression often have low levels of dopamine. As a result, some people use cigarettes to temporarily increase their levels of dopamine. Regular smoking leads the brain to switch off its own mechanism for making dopamine, meaning that in the long-term supplies decrease, encouraging people to smoke even more.

Medication

Smoking can make prescribed medication for some mental illnesses less effective. This means the smoker would have to take higher doses of their medication in order for it to work effectively. Smoking is known to interfere in particular with the way some antipsychotic medication and antidepressants work.

Health anxiety

Here are just a few facts about how smoking can affect your health: Every cigarette you smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which cause cancer; half of all smokers will die prematurely and smokers die on average 10 years younger than non smokers; for every cigarettes you smoke a mutation occurs which could lead to cancer; and is the leading cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smokers are also at risk of suffering more severe symptoms if they catch Covid-19.  Living with this knowledge can lead to serious health anxiety.  The good news is that if you quit now your body will start to repair itself within hours and you will enjoy a better quality of life.

How to quit

All smokers are different and there is not one quit method or smoking cessation service that suits everybody. To help you find the quit smoking support that is best for you contact Help Me Quit, NHS Wales’ free smoking cessation service.  To get in touch text HMQ to 80818, call 0800 085 2219 or click here to visit the Help Me Quit website.