In times of stress, like living through a global pandemic, it's natural to fall back on soothing habits _ gardening, playing video games or, for some, lighting up a cigarette or taking a pull on a marijuana vape pen.
But what are the risks, given that the novel coronavirus at the center of the current crisis attacks the lungs?
The science is in its early stages, but studies are finding that cigarette smokers are more likely to have severe infections _ a fact many lung doctors say doesn't surprise them.
"It's now pretty clear that there is data to show that if you are a smoker, you're more likely to have adverse outcomes from COVID-19, need mechanical ventilation and to die than if you're not a smoker," said Richard Castriotta, a doctor specializing in pulmonary critical care at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Smoking damages the lung's defense mechanisms, making it harder to fight off COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, according to several doctors who specialize in chest conditions such as pneumonia, asthma and tuberculosis.
One of the disease's main targets is the lungs, and injured lungs have more trouble fighting off COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, Castriotta said.
