| Recalling that its consumption is an important risk factor in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection | The City Council of Totana joins the World Day without Tobacco, which is celebrated this Sunday, May 31; Remembering that its consumption is an important risk factor in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as indicated by the Municipal Drug Prevention Service of the Department of Social Welfare.Furthermore, it is underlined that smoking continues to be one of the main public health problems, causing the death of more than 60,000 people every year in Spain: the damage that tobacco consumption causes to the lungs and the immune system begins from the moment You start smoking, so it is important to take every opportunity to quit.On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, it is a good time to remember that the new reality that arises after the pandemic, which is further from social life, as it was known before, is a good opportunity to continue in the process of quitting smoking or deciding to start doing it. And is that the current context is one more reason to quit tobacco, since it has been shown that the coronavirus affects more people with chronic diseases, including respiratory and cardiovascular. In fact, new research published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases reveals that cardiovascular diseases increased by smoking are present in more than 30% of coronavirus fatalities.The harmful substances in cigarettes cause a decrease in the defenses of the respiratory system, causing smokers to multiply up to almost 3 times their chances of developing a severe clinical form of coronavirus infection.
Likewise, in patients who are smokers, severe respiratory failure and the need for mechanical ventilation occurs more frequently than in nonsmokers.Tobacco use is an important risk factor in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the severity of the progression of the disease, as scientific evidence to date has shown. For this reason, and within the framework of the preventive strategy to contribute to reducing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to avoid the consumption of tobacco products in all its forms.
This implies a greater need to raise awareness about the importance of quitting smoking and, for this, it is essential to go to health professionals, who will recommend the best way to achieve it.For this reason, a study is being carried out from the Ministry of Health of the Region of Murcia, the Ministry of Health and the National Committee for the Prevention of Tobacco addiction to know the impact that confinement is having on tobacco consumption or other forms of consumption, and to what extent have the health problems of the population and the coronavirus influenced such consumption.
