Risk group former smokers
April 6, 2020 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf
Hello,
I am 36 years old. I have no known pre-existing conditions. As a child, I suffered from asthma, which I outgrew by the age of 11. Unfortunately, I used to smoke regularly, about 1-1.5 packs a day, until three years ago. Sometimes more, sometimes less, and sometimes not at all for two years. In total, for about 15 years.
Three months ago, I visited a pulmonologist for a check-up, as I sometimes felt like I was having trouble breathing, which was probably due to stress. Lung function tests, X-rays in two dimensions, and a complete blood count all came back normal.
During the current COVID-19 crisis, I have been doing all the shopping for my parents and various neighbors. However, because I also have a 2-year-old son, I do not want to increase my risk unnecessarily. I keep wondering if my history of smoking may already put me in the high-risk group.
Thank you for your assessment.
Best regards,
S. Nordhausen
Dear Mr. Nordhausen,
Statistically speaking, your risk of a severe course of infection with the coronavirus is increased compared to someone who has never smoked. However, this increase is rather small, and an exact percentage cannot be given at this time.
As for your concerns regarding your two-year-old son, it is important to note that the risk of you getting infected in the first place is not related to whether you have ever smoked. The risk of infection depends largely on your personal precautions. One aspect of this is that you should strictly adhere to the minimum distance and the other aspect is that you should avoid touching things that have been touched by many other people. For example, a door handle, the keypad for payment, or similar. If you have touched such objects, it would be good to wash your hands as soon as possible and under no circumstances touch your face before washing them. Personally, I prefer to shop without a shopping cart, but with my own shopping bag, and clean my hands after using the aforementioned objects or touching the aforementioned surfaces.
I wish you all the best and hope you stay healthy.
