Restrictions on flavored tobacco products are a great way to promote public health, and these restrictions work best if public health experts form partnerships with tobacco retailers, run intensive media campaigns, and advocate for comprehensive bans on the products. That is according to a study published in Tobacco Control from the University of Hawaiʻi at…
Everyone agrees about the good news — folks whose asthma is spurred on by allergies don’t appear to have an increased risk of life-threatening illness if they contract COVID-19. “Asthma has not risen as one of the top comorbid diseases for worse COVID-19 outcomes,” said Dr. Sandhya Khurana, director of the Mary Parkes Center for…
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…