TY - JOUR
T1 - Current smoking and COVID-19 risk
T2 - results from a population symptom app in over 2.4 million people
AU - Hopkinson, Nicholas S
AU - Rossi, Niccolo
AU - El-Sayed Moustafa, Julia
AU - Laverty, Anthony A
AU - Quint, Jennifer K
AU - Freidin, Maxim
AU - Visconti, Alessia
AU - Murray, Ben
AU - Modat, Marc
AU - Ourselin, Sebastien
AU - Small, Kerrin
AU - Davies, Richard
AU - Wolf, Jonathan
AU - Spector, Tim D
AU - Steves, Claire J
AU - Falchi, Mario
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding This work was supported by Zoe Global Limited as well as grants from the Wellcome Trust (212904/Z/18/Z) and the Medical Research Council (MRC)/British Heart Foundation Ancestry and Biological Informative Markers for Stratification of Hypertension (AIMHY; MR/M016560/1). TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Global Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King’s College London. JSES, TDS and KSS acknowledge support from the Medical Research Council (MR/M004422/1). This work is supported by BREATHE - The Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health [MC_PC_19004]. BREATHE is funded through the UK Research and Innovation Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and delivered through Health Data Research UK.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by Zoe Global Limited as well as grants from the Wellcome Trust (212904/Z/18/Z) and the Medical Research Council (MRC)/British Heart Foundation Ancestry and Biological Informative Markers for Stratification of Hypertension (AIMHY; MR/M016560/1). TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Global Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London. JSES, TDS and KSS acknowledge support from the Medical Research Council (MR/M004422/1). This work is supported by BREATHE - The Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health [MC-PC-19004]. BREATHE is funded through the UK Research and Innovation Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and delivered through Health Data Research UK.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Author(s) (or their employer(s)).
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - Background The association between current tobacco smoking, the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 and the severity of illness is an important information gap. Methods UK users of the Zoe COVID-19 Symptom Study app provided baseline data including demographics, anthropometrics, smoking status and medical conditions, and were asked to log their condition daily. Participants who reported that they did not feel physically normal were then asked by the app to complete a series of questions, including 14 potential COVID-19 symptoms and about hospital attendance. The main study outcome was the development of 'classic' symptoms of COVID-19 during the pandemic defined as fever, new persistent cough and breathlessness and their association with current smoking. The number of concurrent COVID-19 symptoms was used as a proxy for severity and the pattern of association between symptoms was also compared between smokers and non-smokers. Results Between 24 March 2020 and 23 April 2020, data were available on 2 401 982 participants, mean (SD) age 43.6 (15.1) years, 63.3% female, overall smoking prevalence 11.0%. 834 437 (35%) participants reported being unwell and entered one or more symptoms. Current smokers were more likely to report symptoms suggesting a diagnosis of COVID-19; classic symptoms adjusted OR (95% CI) 1.14 (1.10 to 1.18); >5 symptoms 1.29 (1.26 to 1.31); >10 symptoms 1.50 (1.42 to 1.58). The pattern of association between reported symptoms did not vary between smokers and non-smokers. Interpretation These data are consistent with people who smoke being at an increased risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19.
AB - Background The association between current tobacco smoking, the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 and the severity of illness is an important information gap. Methods UK users of the Zoe COVID-19 Symptom Study app provided baseline data including demographics, anthropometrics, smoking status and medical conditions, and were asked to log their condition daily. Participants who reported that they did not feel physically normal were then asked by the app to complete a series of questions, including 14 potential COVID-19 symptoms and about hospital attendance. The main study outcome was the development of 'classic' symptoms of COVID-19 during the pandemic defined as fever, new persistent cough and breathlessness and their association with current smoking. The number of concurrent COVID-19 symptoms was used as a proxy for severity and the pattern of association between symptoms was also compared between smokers and non-smokers. Results Between 24 March 2020 and 23 April 2020, data were available on 2 401 982 participants, mean (SD) age 43.6 (15.1) years, 63.3% female, overall smoking prevalence 11.0%. 834 437 (35%) participants reported being unwell and entered one or more symptoms. Current smokers were more likely to report symptoms suggesting a diagnosis of COVID-19; classic symptoms adjusted OR (95% CI) 1.14 (1.10 to 1.18); >5 symptoms 1.29 (1.26 to 1.31); >10 symptoms 1.50 (1.42 to 1.58). The pattern of association between reported symptoms did not vary between smokers and non-smokers. Interpretation These data are consistent with people who smoke being at an increased risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099054353&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-216422
DO - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-216422
M3 - Article
C2 - 33402392
SN - 0040-6376
VL - 76
SP - 714
EP - 722
JO - Thorax
JF - Thorax
IS - 7
ER -