Abstract
The recently discovered novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus), has brought the whole world to standstill with critical challenges, affecting both health and economic sectors worldwide. Although initially, this pandemic was associated with causing severe pulmonary and respiratory disorders, recent case studies reported the association of cerebrovascular-neurological dysfunction in COVID-19 patients, which is also life-threatening. Several SARS-CoV-2 positive case studies have been reported where there are mild or no symptoms of this virus. However, a selection of patients are suffering from large artery ischemic strokes. Although the pathophysiology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affecting the cerebrovascular system has not been elucidated yet, researchers have identified several pathogenic mechanisms, including a role for the ACE2 receptor. Therefore, it is extremely crucial to identify the risk factors related to the progression and adverse outcome of cerebrovascular-neurological dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Since many articles have reported the effect of smoking (tobacco and cannabis) and vaping in cerebrovascular and neurological systems, and considering that smokers are more prone to viral and bacterial infection compared to non-smokers, it is high time to explore the probable correlation of smoking in COVID-19 patients. Herein, we have reviewed the possible role of smoking and vaping on cerebrovascular and neurological dysfunction in COVID-19 patients, along with potential pathogenic mechanisms associated with it.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a recently discovered form of coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) [1,2]
The presence of SARS-COV, a family member of Coronavirus, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) suggested an alternative mechanism of central nervous system (CNS) invasion for this class of viruses [146]
Since the blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain parenchyma from viral and bacterial infection, damage to this biological barrier could lead to the accumulation of deadly viruses like SARS-CoV-2 in the CNS
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a recently discovered form of coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) [1,2]. The outbreak of this virus first appeared in Wuhan city of Hubei province in China in December 2019 [3]. As of May 28th 2020, a total number of 5,792,874 coronavirus cases, including 357,479 deaths, have been reported all over the world [5] This virus is spreading among all populations so rapidly that, in just three months, the USA has become the epicenter, having 1,745,803 confirmed cases, including 102,107 deaths. The number of confirmed cases seems to indicate a steady increment over time and these numbers can be forecasted using several mathematical models available for COVID-19 [5,6,7,8]
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