Smokers may be living on edge of contracting COVID-19 infection: IIT study

Smokers could be living on edge of contracting COVID-19 infection, according to a study by scientists at Indian Institute of Techlogy (IIT), Jodhpur, exploring neuroinvasive nature of deadly coronavirus.

study also rings warning bells for asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 with asmia (loss of smell) and usia (loss of taste) to self-quarantine mselves as soon as y feel se symptoms and consult specialists before y turn into carriers.

According to study titled "Neurological insights of COVID-19 pandemic" published in rewned international journal published by American Chemical Society (ACS), loss of smell and taste of infected patients makes ir entire Central Nervous System (CNS) and underlying structures in brain more prone to viral infection with devastating effects.

study led by Surajit Ghosh, professor at IIT Jodhpur, has pointed out that coronavirus is kwn to interact with a specific human receptor kwn as hACE2 (Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2) which also happens to be entry point of virus and has an almost ubiquitous presence in most human organs ranging from lung to nasal mucosa. brain is also kwn to express this receptor.

" likeliness of COVID-19 patients to contract neurological infections can be exacerbated by secondary factors like smoking. According to a pilot study, smoking can enhance chances of contracting COVID-19 based neuroinfections due to functional interactions between human receptor and nicotinic receptor," Ghosh said.

" same study reports that due to coexpression of human receptor and nicotinic receptor in many cells, re exists a functional link between m. So, when smokers smoke, it augments expression of hACE2 due to nicotine stimulation," he added.

team has suggested brain autopsies of COVID-19 infected patients and analysis of ir cerebrospinal fluid.

"While performing autopsies on brains of COVID-19 patients, it would be wise to conduct smoker versus nsmoker based analysis as this will help to shed light on smoking being an additional risk factor in COVID-19 patients along with and already existing ailments," study said.

researchers have attributed loss of smell or taste to fact that se and mouth both are very important entry points of virus, which n may be slowly making its way to olfactory bulb using neurons of olfactory mucosa.

" olfactory bulb located in forebrain is structure that is chiefly responsible for sense of smell. This explains loss of smell associated with many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 and also may be exposing CNS to viral infection," Ghosh said.

"A recently conducted study on brain scans (CT and MRI) of a patient infected by COVID-19 virus that shows a rare encephalopathy called ANE, which leads to brain dysfunction with seizures and mental disorientation. It indicates that in presence of human ACE2 receptors in nervous system, brain may be infected by virus through olfactory bulbs and also through or peripheral nerve terminals or simply blood circulation and may breach blood-brain barrier to innervate and attack system.

" virus may also completely destroy medulla oblongata of hindbrain, which regulates breathing, heart, and blood vessel function,” he added.

Around world, confirmed infections of coronavirus stood at more than 3.1 million - including 1 million in US - and confirmed global death toll topped 217,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.