Does misclassification of former tobacco smokers explain the 'smoker's paradox' in the risk of COVID-19? Insights from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The association between tobacco smoking and the risk of COVID-19 and its adverse outcomes is controversial, as studies reported contrasting findings. Bias due to misclassification of the exposure in the analyses of current versus non-current smoking could be a possible explanation because former smokers may have higher background risks of the disease due to co-morbidity. The aim of the study was to investigate the extent of this potential bias by separating non-, former, and current smokers when assessing the risk or prognosis of diseases.

Methods

We analysed data from 43,400 participants in the Stockholm Public Health Cohort, Sweden, with information on smoking obtained prior to the pandemic. We estimated the risk of COVID-19, hospital admissions and death for (a

SUBMITTER: Shaaban AN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10183343 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature