In a recent cohort study published in JAMA Network Open , researchers from the United States of America investigated the association between the use of cannabis and tobacco and health outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They found that smokers and cannabis users showed a greater risk of hospitalization and adverse outcomes in COVID-19 as compared to non-smokers or those not using cannabis, despite controlling for other risk factors.
Study: Cannabis, Tobacco Use, and COVID-19 Outcomes . Image Credit: JOURNEY STUDIO7 / Shutterstock Background
COVID-19 continues to impact public health, causing morbidity and mortality. Despite 76% of US adults being partially vaccinated against the disease, factors like vaccine hesitancy and new virus strains highlight the need to identify contributors to poor outcomes. While non-modifiable factors such as age, sex, race, and comorbidity are reported to be linked to severe infection, research on modifiable factors like substance use remains limited.
Previous studies show that cigarette smoking is associated with the worsening of COVID-19 outcomes, and preliminary evidence links substance use disorders and alcohol use to higher risks of severe disease and breakthrough infections. Research on cannabis use and COVID-19 is scarce and conflicting, with some studies indicating higher infection and mortality rates among users, while others suggest protective effects.
Data from electronic health records (EHR) may help address these understanding gaps. Therefore, researchers in the present study aimed to evaluate whether substance use, specifically cannabis use and tobacco smoking, is associated with COVID–19–related outcomes such as hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and all-cause mortality. The hypothesis was that both tobacco smoking and cannabis use are linked to worse outcomes following COVID-19 infection. About the study
In the present multi-institutional, retrospective cohort study, EHR data from 72,501 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 during the period from February 2020 to January 2022 were included. COVID-19 cases were defined by diagnosis based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), antibody, or antigen tests. The mean age of the participants was 48.9 years; 59.7% of them were female, and 27.6% of the patients were Black. […]
Study reveals cannabis and tobacco users face higher COVID-19 hospitalization and adverse outcomes
