Nicotine protecting people from Covid 19?

peddlelies

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/23/smokers-four-times-less-likely-contract-covid-19-prompting-nicotine/

"Frontline health workers and patients in France may be given nicotine patches after studies found that four times fewer smokers contracted Covid-19 than non-smokers.

It may sound counterintuitive that people who puff on Gauloises are less likely to catch a virus that can cause deadly attacks on the lungs. However, that was the statistical outcome of an in-depth study conducted by the Pasteur Institute, a leading French research centre into the disease.

The institute tested almost 700 teachers and pupils of a school in Crépy-en-Valois in one of the hardest-hit areas in France, as well as their families. The “highly accurate” tests found that only 7.2 per cent of smokers from among the adults tested were infected while four times as many non-smokers, some 28 per cent, were infected.

Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist at the institute, warned that they were not encouraging people to take up smoking, remarking that those smokers who do catch the virus “risk suffering more complications” than others. Scientists suggested it could be the nicotine in cigarettes that was behind the surprising results regarding infection, although more research is needed. "

If you end up getting it as a smoker you're is much bigger trouble than the average person obviously, but if it's the nicotine what about using patches or even vaping? 5min mark in the video

peddlelies

Might as well post this too, a similar thing was tried with sars I believe.

Yurt2

That's quackery of the highest order from British American Tobacco claiming they can come up with an effective treatment/vaccine. I hope health authorities tell them to close their traps.

ek motor

"The current study examined for the first time the prevalence of current smoking among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in China. An unusually low prevalence of current smoking among hospitalized COVID-19 cases in China was observed when considering the population smoking prevalence. The pooled prevalence observed in the 13 studies analyzed was approximately 1/4th the population prevalence. Consistently low prevalence of current smoking was observed in all studies."

https://www.qeios.com/read/Z69O8A.13

dusty207

Could be smokers cells are in such a crappy condition that the covidians can't find a decent one to latch onto?

drunkmonkey

dusty207 wrote: »

Could be smokers cells are in such a crappy condition that the covidians can't find a decent one to latch onto?

That's the theroy it blocks the receptors, even better news is the auld sticky icky might be better at it than Marlboroughs. The Israelis are on the case.
With all the pubs closed I think it's high time to leaglise now regardless.

Wibbs

It's interesting alright. now I have to say straight off the bat that smoking is very bad for health, because without that caveat the decades of rightful health authorities indoctrination against it will have many just dismiss this possible positive entirely. However nicotine itself shows some positives in other conditions. Ulcerative colitis is one condition that smokers rarely get and if they do they get it later in life and less severely. It seems protective against some forms of parkinsons too.

With Covid19 or any illness that hits the lungs and the cardiovascular system and it seems also causes excessive clotting, rather than being on a par with non smokers, smokers should be dropping like flies from this. Smokers already have compromised lungs, compromised cardiovascular systems and blood that is more prone to clotting and higher biomarkers for inflammation and have compromised immune systems. They're already almost like a low level Covid19 patient minus the virus. Never mind that smokers touch their faces far more than non smokers. They're literally putting their hands to their mouths hundreds of times a day. There should be significantly more smokers as a percentage in the mix, not significantly fewer.

I've read a few bits and bobs behind the headlines on it and there seem to be a few theories. Focus seems to be on the oul ACE receptors. The virus attaches itself to them and gets into the body that way. It has been reckoned that the more of these you had the more prone you were to infection and the more prone to it going serious and killing you. So men have more than women, kids have far less than adults and as we've seen more men die from this and kids very rarely do. Again smokers looked to be screwed as they have more than non smokers. And yet... again they look less likely to catch it, or for it to go serious. One hypothesis has it that it's because they have more that this protects them. The virus knocks these receptors hard, so if you've a load more in reserve you're better off kinda thing. Another hypothesis I read had something about regulation involved. That smokers ACE receptors were more up or down regulated(can't recall which) and this may be the protective factor. Another angle was it had been noticed that in ARDS in rat models nicotine reduced the inflammation and the risk of cytokine storms, so that might be in play too. Or could be some of the above or something different entirely.

It's a strong and consistent finding across many countries now, so should be looked, though I'm not so sure nicotine patches will do the trick. It could well be the action of nicotine directly in the lungs that is the protective part. Plus if it's the ACE doohickeys how fast does a non smoker produce them from first putting a patch on?

s7ryf3925pivug

Mr I-can-quit
Quit cig-arr-ettes
To protect himsel-el-elf
From coronavirus

Yurt!

Yurt! wrote: »

That's quackery of the highest order from British American Tobacco claiming they can come up with an effective treatment/vaccine. I hope health authorities tell them to close their traps.

BAT have a biotech division that uses tabacco plants to cultivate antibodies

https://time.com/3457472/see-how-ebola-drugs-grow-in-tobacco-leaves/

It would however be apt if the vaccine for Covid-19 was developed by a company called BAT

s7ryf3925pivug

Wibbs wrote: »

It's interesting alright. now I have to say straight off the bat that smoking is very bad for health, because without that caveat the decades of rightful health authorities indoctrination against it will have many just dismiss this possible positive entirely. However nicotine itself shows some positives in other conditions. Ulcerative colitis is one condition that smokers rarely get and if they do they get it later in life and less severely. It seems protective against some forms of parkinsons too.

With Covid19 or any illness that hits the lungs and the cardiovascular system and it seems also causes excessive clotting, rather than being on a par with non smokers, smokers should be dropping like flies from this. Smokers already have compromised lungs, compromised cardiovascular systems and blood that is more prone to clotting and higher biomarkers for inflammation and have compromised immune systems. They're already almost like a low level Covid19 patient minus the virus. Never mind that smokers touch their faces far more than non smokers. They're literally putting their hands to their mouths hundreds of times a day. There should be significantly more smokers as a percentage in the mix, not significantly fewer.

I've read a few bits and bobs behind the headlines on it and there seem to be a few theories. Focus seems to be on the oul ACE receptors. The virus attaches itself to them and gets into the body that way. It has been reckoned that the more of these you had the more prone you were to infection and the more prone to it going serious and killing you. So men have more than women, kids have far less than adults and as we've seen more men die from this and kids very rarely do. Again smokers looked to be screwed as they have more than non smokers. And yet... again they look less likely to catch it, or for it to go serious. One hypothesis has it that it's because they have more that this protects them. The virus knocks these receptors hard, so if you've a load more in reserve you're better off kinda thing. Another hypothesis I read had something about regulation involved. That smokers ACE receptors were more up or down regulated(can't recall which) and this may be the protective factor. Another angle was it had been noticed that in ARDS in rat models nicotine reduced the inflammation and the risk of cytokine storms, so that might be in play too. Or could be some of the above or something different entirely.

It's a strong and consistent finding across many countries now, so should be looked, though I'm not so sure nicotine patches will do the trick. It could well be the action of nicotine directly in the lungs that is the protective part. Plus if it's the ACE doohickeys how fast does a non smoker produce them from first putting a patch on?

The clotting thing is interesting, and there seems to be a lot of conflicting ideas about it.

Two potential ways of being killed by covid are haemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. A stroke is when your brain does not receive enough oxygen. A haemorrhagic stroke is when this is caused by bleeding. An ischemic stroke is when it is caused by something (often a clot) blocks an artery. [This is all just my understanding from googling.]

So it seems it can cause your blood to clot more and also for your blood to clot less. Correspondingly, I have found conflicting suggestions about preemptive treatments, from giving clotting factor to haemophiliac at the onset of the disease to avoid haemorrhagic stroke, to giving blood thinners to everyone else to avoid ischemic stroke.

Likewise there are conflicting ideas about how it affects haemophiliacs, with some places describing them as a vulnerable group, and others suggesting they might enjoy some protection. The only actual case study I saw said the condition was not a major factor in the patient's experience though.

SEPT 23 1989

finally some positivity about smoking after years of bad press

Wibbs

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

finally some positivity about smoking after years of bad press

:D

IAMAMORON

In fairness smokers do get to batter your average cold a lot quicker than non-smokers. All the carbons in the smoke can exterminate any virus lingering around the throat or lungs, if they can. It is common for regular smokers to not suffer as many colds, I am not so sure about the flu?

However the long term effects of smoking are obvious. Only 1 in 3 smokers will not die of a smoking relating illness.

Nicotine is relatively harmless, I am surprised it is being touted as a Covid cure? Although it is an anti depressant, if you do lots of it you will feel great. That might help, although be careful it is also very addictive.

Esel

IAMAMORON wrote: »

In fairness smokers do get to batter your average cold a lot quicker than non-smokers. All the carbons in the smoke can exterminate any virus lingering around the throat or lungs, if they can. It is common for regular smokers to not suffer as many colds, I am not so sure about the flu?

However the long term effects of smoking are obvious. Only 1 in 3 smokers will not die of a smoking relating illness.

Nicotine is relatively harmless, I am surprised it is being touted as a Covid cure? Although it is an anti depressant, if you do lots of it you will feel great. That might help, although be careful it is also very addictive.

Define 'lots' - because lots of it can easily kill you... e.g. ingesting a relatively small amount of vaping juice.

IAMAMORON

Esel wrote: »

Define 'lots' - because lots of it can easily kill you... e.g. ingesting a relatively small amount of vaping juice.

Are you implying that if I spend my spare time doing shots of liquid nicotine that I might keel over and die?

Thanks for the heads up, I will make sure I take it easy the next time.

Esel

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Are you implying that if I spend my spare time doing shots of liquid nicotine that I might keel over and die?

Thanks for the heads up, I will make sure I take it easy the next time.

Don't take it personally - I presume you are not a moron, but people have died trying various things they heard could cure or kill the virus. My post wasn't aimed at you per se.

derfderf

Esel wrote: »

Don't take it personally - I presume you are not a moron, but people have died trying various things they heard could cure or kill the virus. My post wasn't aimed at you per se.

I was using patches and lozenges together to quit before. I was probably eating too many lozenges, but i felt like i was going to die. My heart was racing, and i was very light headed.

GinSoaked

Maybe smokers spend so much time coughing their guts up that everyone including people carrying Covid-19 have stayed clear of them.