A new review looks at the effect that smoking and vaping may have on the cerebrovascular and neurological systems of COVID-19 patients.

Luca Cucullo, Ph.D., and other researchers from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) have for years studied the effects smoking and vaping have on the cerebrovascular and neurological systems. Their research, and that of others, has shown smokers of tobacco and vaping products are more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infection than are non-smokers.

Based on those findings and the recent COVID-19 patient case studies, Cucullo and TTUHSC graduate research assistant Sabrina Rahman Archie reviewed the role smoking and vaping may play in the cerebrovascular and neurological dysfunction of those who contract the virus. Their study, «Cerebrovascular and Neurological Dysfunction under the Threat of COVID-19: Is There a Comorbid Role for Smoking and Vaping?» was published May 30 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

In his previous research, Cucullo demonstrated how tobacco smoke can impair a person’s respiratory function. From there, it can affect the vascular system and eventually the brain. Because COVID-19 also attacks the respiratory and vascular systems, he and Archie wanted to see if there were any reported cases indicating the virus may also affect the brain and lead to the onset of long-term neurological disorders like ischemic strokes. They also looked for evidence showing smoking and vaping can otherwise worsen the outcomes for COVID-19 patients, which Cucullo said seems to be the case.

Archie said some case studies demonstrate there are indeed stroke occurrences in COVID-19 patients and the rates appear to be increasing every day. In fact, one study of 214 patients found that 36.45% of COVID patients had neurological symptoms, further indicating the virus is able to affect the cerebral vascular system. But how does this happen?

There are within the human body approximately 13 blood coagulation factors that can be increased due to hypoxia, a condition that occurs when the body is deprived of sufficient amounts of oxygen at the tissue level, as occurs with smoking. Archie said COVID-19 appears to also raise some blood procoagulant, especially the von Wellebrand Factor, a blood clotting protein that primarily binds carries coagulation factor VIII and promotes platelet adhesion at the site of wounds.

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Materials provided by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Original written by Mark Hendricks. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.