A recent study in the European Respiratory Journal shows that smokers and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to develop severe coronavirus infections because they have a higher number of the virus’ entry receptor enzyme (ACE2) in their lungs.
“The data emerging from China suggested that patients with COPD were at higher risk of having worse outcomes from Covid-19,” said lead author Janice Leung, a researcher at the University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital. “We hypothesized that this could be because the levels of ACE2 in their airways might be increased compared to people without COPD, which could possibly make it easier for the virus to infect the airway.”
The study found higher levels of ACE2 in individuals suffering from COPD as well as current smokers. The levels in individuals who had quit smoking were similar to those who had never smoked.