According to researchers in Spain from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, men are dying from Covid-19 at twice the percentage rate of women in Spain because men have a higher smoking prevalence rate than women in the country.
The researchers’ findings, which can be found in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases, noted that smoking tobacco can upregulate the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which Covid-19 uses as a cellular entry receptor by joining itself to ACE2 receptors in the lower respiratory tract of infected individuals to gain access to the lungs.
The researchers confirm that “existing data suggests that patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or who smoke have a higher risk of becoming more seriously ill from Covid-19, since it increases ACE2 expression in weaker airways, which this type of patient has.”