Impact of Smoking on COVID-19 Symptoms in Non-Vaccinated Patients: A Matched Observational Study from Qatar

Mohammad Z Haider; Amna Al-Mannai; Sally Al-Sirhan; Ahmed Elsabagh; Nasser Nasser; Noora Al-Quraishi; Amr Ouda; Khadija Erradi; Anas A Ashour; Ishita Gupta; Jazeel Abdulmajeed; Hamad E Al-Romaihi; Devendra Bansal; Omran A H Musa; Elmoubasher Abu Baker Abd Farag; Mohammed H J Al-Thani; Ala-Eddin Al Moustafa

doi:10.2147/JMDH.S347130

Impact of Smoking on COVID-19 Symptoms in Non-Vaccinated Patients: A Matched Observational Study from Qatar

J Multidiscip Healthc. 2022 Mar 17:15:531-540. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S347130. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Mohammad Z Haider¹, Amna Al-Mannai¹, Sally Al-Sirhan¹, Ahmed Elsabagh¹, Nasser Nasser¹, Noora Al-Quraishi¹, Amr Ouda¹, Khadija Erradi¹, Anas A Ashour², Ishita Gupta^{1

3}, Jazeel Abdulmajeed⁴, Hamad E Al-Romaihi⁴, Devendra Bansal⁴, Omran A H Musa⁴, Elmoubasher Abu Baker Abd Farag⁴, Mohammed H J Al-Thani⁴, Ala-Eddin Al Moustafa^{1

3

5}

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
³ Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research Unit, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁴ Ministry of Public Health, Doha, Qatar.
⁵ Biomedical Research Centre, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

Purpose: Predisposition to acute illness from COVID-19 is suggested to correlate with cigarette smoking as it augments the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, including infections. However, the effects of smoking on COVID-19 symptoms are not well described and controversial. In this study, we aim to explore the associations between smoking and COVID-19 symptoms.

Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study using the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Qatar database was administered to a Qatari population with confirmed COVID-19 disease who filled in pre-defined phone-call questionnaire between 27th February 2020 and 31st December 2020. We analyzed 11,701 non-vaccinated COVID-19 individuals (2952 smokers and 8749 non-smokers) with confirmed RT-PCR test results. The association of smoking and the presence of symptoms as well as patient characteristics was calculated using Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, adjusting for potential covariates.

Results: Compared with the non-smokers, symptomatic COVID-19 infection is significantly higher in smokers. In addition, we found fever as the most common symptom developed in COVID-19 patients followed by cough, headache, muscle ache, and sore throat. As compared to other symptoms, association of smoking with chills and abdominal pain was less evident (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). However, both groups showed similar rates of developing cough.

Conclusion: In conclusion, smoking is associated with COVID-19 symptoms frequency in non-vaccinated patients; nevertheless, further investigations are necessary to understand the mechanism of this association which could generate new targets for the management of COVID-19 in smoker patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Qatar; frequency; smoking; symptoms.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.