The use of face masks does not cause intoxication induced by exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2), even in people with lung function impairment such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a study reports. The study, “Effect of Face Masks on Gas Exchange in Healthy Persons and Patients with COPD,” was published in the Annals…
Almost two million people die each year from tobacco-induced heart disease, a new report by the World Health Organization has found. Around one in five deaths from heart disease are caused by tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke. And just a few cigarettes a day, occasional smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoke increase the…
Smokers in the UK are quitting at a record pace. As of July, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reported that over one million people living in the United Kingdom have given up smoking due to COVID-19. Because the virus attacks the respiratory system, it has given smokers a moment of pause which could very…
After stay-at-home orders were issued this spring because of COVID-19, doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia noticed a dramatic drop in the number of patients who were being admitted for asthma emergencies or seeing their doctors for outpatient visits. In a new study, doctors there noted the drops were significant: the hospital and its care…
New findings suggest differing chronic lung diseases are associated with varying risk factors among COVID-19 patients. A pre-print article from a team of investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School highlight the important of distinguishing asthma from chronic pulmonary conditions in interpreting patient risks due to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The findings, which…
More than one million people have given up smoking since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a survey for charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests. Of those who had quit in the previous four months, 41% said it was in direct response to coronavirus. Separately, University College London (UCL) found more people quit smoking in…
However, study finds allergic asthma did not significantly increase the risk of severe illness. Adults with asthma who became infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were at higher risk of developing severe illness compared with adults who did not have asthma, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School…
Smokers and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to develop severe complications and die from COVID-19 infections than infected patients who do not smoke or have COPD, a recent meta-analysis shows. This research, however, suggests that the prevalence of COPD patients and smokers among those infected is low. The study, “Prevalence,…