British Male Expat Smokers in Spain in Death Warning as Coronavirus Kills Fewer Women

BRITISH male expat smokers in Spain have been given a death warning as researchers find that the coronavirus is causing more men than women to die.

Diego Redolar, from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) says that his study with colleague Javier C Vázquez, from the Bordeaux Neurocampus, shows that Covid-19 is hitting male smokers harder in the country.

Over 30 per cent of those who have died from the disease suffered from some form of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in Spain (at 28 per cent in 2018), and approximately 10 per cent of cardiovascular disease is attributed to smoking.

Coronavirus is an infectious disease provoked by severe acute respiratory problems, and is transmitted mainly person to person via small respiratory droplets through sneezing or coughing,

Although the number of Covid-19 infections among men and women is fairly similar in Spain, the mortality rate up to April 5 stood at 8 per cent for men and 4 per cent for women.

In Redolar’s opinion, “it is evidence that gender plays a role in patterns such as the prevalence of tobacco use,” since according to figures for 2017, in Spain over 25 per cent of men smoke, while only 18 per cent of women do.

The researchers confirm that “existing data suggests that patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or who smoke have a higher risk of becoming more seriously ill from Covid-19.

The two men said that campaigns should be launched to reduce smoking during the crisis, and more programmes introduced to help people quit.
They’ve called for increased taxes on tobacco and scrapping its sale during the pandemic.