Based on the findings of recent case studies of coronavirus positive patients, researchers have reviewed the role of smoking and vaping that may play a role in the cerebrovascular and neurological dysfunction of those who contract the deadly virus.
The study led by Cucullo and TTUHSC graduate research assistant Sabrina Rahman Archie, “Cerebrovascular and Neurological Dysfunction under the Threat of COVID-19: Is There a Comorbid Role for Smoking and Vaping?” was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
As the number of cases related to COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 virus increased, the severe respiratory and pulmonary disorders associated with the deadly infection have become quite known.
However, recent case studies also have strongly suggested the presence of cerebrovascular-neurological dysfunction in COVID-19 patients, including large artery ischemic strokes that originate in one of the brain`s larger blood-supplying arteries such as the carotid.
Luca Cucullo, PhD, and other researchers from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) have been studying the effects of smoking and vaping on the cerebrovascular and neurological systems for years.
Their research, along with some of the others, has shown that those smoking tobacco and vaping products are more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infection than non-smokers.
Cucullo, in his previous research, had demonstrated how tobacco smoke can impair a person’s respiratory function. From there, it can affect the vascular system and eventually the brain.
Because SARS-CoV-2 virus also attacks the respiratory and vascular systems, he and Archie were eager to find out if there were any reported cases indicating that the COVID-19 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 coronavirus patients, which Cucullo said seems to be the case. Archie said some case studies have shown that there are indeed stroke occurrences in COVID-19 patients and the rates appear to be increasing every day.
