Scientists have called smokers more vulnerable to coronavirus. The same as people with chronic obstructive
This is stated in a study publishedin the European Respiratory Journal. Scientists studied samples of pulmonary epithelium from 42 people. Half of them had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 24% were smokers. Researchers measured ACE-2 (angiotensin converting enzyme) levels in samples. The fact is that it is this protein that coronavirus uses to penetrate into cells.
In samples of people with lung disease and smokersturned out to be noticeably more than the specified protein. From this, scientists concluded that people in these categories are more vulnerable to the virus. They advised smokers and patients with this disease to strictly observe the social distance and wash their hands often.