Tobacco smoking and COVID-19 pandemic. Old and new issues. A summary of the evidence from the scientific literature
Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic burst onto the international scene as a new disease disproportionately affecting certain patient groups; hence it has risen many questions yet to be clarified. The aim of this study was to outline the main issues that led tobacco smoking being discussed as a potential risk factor associated with COVID-19. Methods: Articles from MEDLINE and pre-prints published from January to April 2020 were identified. Results: Data from China showed that men had more severe outcomes of COVID-19 than women.