Dataset Information

Smoking status related to Covid-19 mortality and disease severity in a veteran population.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Cigarette smoking is associated with development of significant comorbidities. Patients with underlying comorbidities have been found to have worse outcomes associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19). This study evaluated 30-day mortality in Covid-19 positive patients based on smoking status.

Methods

This retrospective study of veterans nationwide examined Covid-19 positive inpatients between March 2020 and January 2021. Bivariate analysis compared patients based on smoking history. Propensity score matching adjusted for age, gender, race, ethnicity, Charlson comorbidity index (0-5 and 6-19) and dexamethasone use was performed. A multivariable logistic regression with backwards elimination and Cox Proportional Hazards Ratio was utilized to determine odds of 30-day mortality.

Results

The study cohort consisted of 25,958 unique Covid-19 positive inpatients. There was a total of 2,995 current smokers, 12,169 former smokers, and 8,392 non-smokers. Death was experienced by 13.5% (n = 3503) of the cohort within 30 days. Former smokers (OR 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27) (HR 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.23) had higher risk of 30-day mortality compared with non-smokers. Former smokers had a higher risk of death compared to current smokers (HR 1.16 95% CI 1.02-1.33). The odds of death for current vs. non-smokers did not significantly differ.

Conclusion

Compared to veteran non-smokers with Covid-19, former, but not current smokers with Covid-19 had a significantly higher risk of 30-day mortality.

SUBMITTER: Wilkinson LA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8556076 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Abstract Introduction The role of smoking in risk of death among patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. We examined the association between in-hospital mortality from COVID-19 and smoking status and other factors in the United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Methods This is an observational, retrospective cohort study using the VHA COVID-19 shared data resources for February 1 to September 11, 2020. Veterans admitted to the hospital who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalized by VHA were grouped into Never (as reference, NS), Former (FS), and Current smokers (CS). The main outcome was in-hospital mortality. Control factors were the most important variables (among all available) determined through a cascade of machine learning. We reported adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) from logistic regression models, imputing missing smoking status in our primary analysis. Results Out of 8,667,996 VHA enrollees, 505,143 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 (NS=191,143; FS=240,336; CS=117,706; Unknown=45,533). The aOR of in-hospital mortality was 1.16 (95%CI 1.01, 1.32) for FS vs. NS and 0.97 (95%CI 0.78, 1.22; P > 0.05) for CS vs. NS with imputed smoking status. Among other factors, famotidine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) use before hospitalization were associated with lower risk while diabetes with complications, kidney disease, obesity, and advanced age were associated with higher risk of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions In patients admitted to the hospital with SARS-CoV-2 infection, our data demonstrate that FS are at higher risk of in-hospital mortality than NS. However, this pattern was not seen among CS highlighting the need for more granular analysis with high quality smoking status data to further clarify our understanding of smoking risk and COVID-19-related mortality. Presence of comorbidities and advanced age were also associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Implications Veterans who were former smokers were at higher risk of in-hospital mortality compared to never smokers. Current smokers and never smokers were at similar risk of in-hospital mortality. The use of famotidine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before hospitalization were associated with lower risk while uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, advanced age, kidney disease, and obesity were associated with higher risk of in-hospital mortality.

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