Paris: Nicotine could protect people from contracting the coronavirus, according to new research in France.
Further trials are planned to test whether the substance could be used to prevent or treat the deadly illness.
The findings emerged after researchers at a top Paris hospital examined 343 coronavirus patients along with 139 with milder symptoms.
A low number of them smoked, compared to smoking rates of around 35 per cent in France’s general population.
“Among these patients, only five per cent were smokers,” said Zahir Amoura, the study’s co-author and professor of internal medicine.
A study published in New England Journal of Medicine suggested that 12.6 per cent of 1,000 infected in China were smokers. That was much lower than the number of regular smokers in China’s population, about 26 per cent, according to WHO.
Nicotine could adhere to cell receptors, therefore blocking coronavirus from entering cells and spreading in body, said Jean-Pierre Changeux, neurobiologist, Pasteur Institut.
The researchers are awaiting approval from health authorities in France to carry out further clinical trials.
They plan to use nicotine patches on health workers at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital to see if it protects them against coronavirus.
They’ve also applied to use the patches on patients, including those in ICU, to see whether it helps reduce symptoms.
Researchers are looking into whether nicotine could help to prevent ‘cytokine storms’, a rapid overreaction of the immune system. Scientists think ‘cytokine storms’ could play a key role in fatal COVID-19 cases.
With further research needed, experts are not encouraging people to pick up smoking as a protective measure against the virus.
“We must not forget the harmful effects of nicotine,” said Jerome Salomon, France’s top health official.
“Those who do not smoke should absolutely not use nicotine substitutes,” which cause side effects and addiction, he warned.
Tobacco is the number one killer in France, with an estimated 75,000 deaths per year linked to smoking.
France is one of Europe’s hardest coronavirus-hit countries, with more than 21,000 deaths and over 155,000 reported infections.