AUTHOR=Alberca Ricardo Wesley , Lima Júlia Cataldo , Oliveira Emily Araujo de , Gozzi-Silva Sarah Cristina , Ramos Yasmim Álefe Leuzzi , Andrade Milena Mary de Souza , Beserra Danielle Rosa , Oliveira Luana de Mendonça , Branco Anna Cláudia Calvielli Castelo , Pietrobon Anna Julia , Pereira Nátalli Zanete , Teixeira Franciane Mouradian Emidio , Fernandes Iara Grigoletto , Duarte Alberto José da Silva , Benard Gil , Sato Maria Notomi TITLE=COVID-19 Disease Course in Former Smokers, Smokers and COPD Patients JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.637627 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.637627 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

The severe respiratory and systemic disease named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a huge social and health challenge worldwide. Many different risk factors are associated with disease severity, such as systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, older age, and other co-infections. Other respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and smoking are common comorbidities worldwide. Previous investigations have identified among COVID-19 patients smokers and COPD patients, but recent investigations have questioned the higher risk among these populations. Nevertheless, previous reports failed to isolate smokers and COPD patients without other comorbidities. We performed a longitudinal evaluation of the disease course of smokers, former smokers, and COPD patients with COVID-19 without other comorbidities, from hospitalization to hospital discharge. Although no difference between groups was observed during hospital admission, smokers and COPD patients presented an increase in COVID-19-associated inflammatory markers during the disease course in comparison to non-smokers and former smokers. Our results demonstrated that smoking and COPD are risk factors for severe COVID-19 with possible implications for the ongoing pandemic.