The Prevalence of Tobacco, Heated Tobacco, and E-Cigarette Use in Poland: A 2022 Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey.

Monitoring tobacco use on a regular schedule is a basic tool of tobacco control policy. This study aimed (1) to assess the current prevalence and patterns of tobacco and e-cigarette use, as well as (2) to identify socioeconomic factors associated with smoking behavior among adults in Poland. This cross-sectional study was carried out in March 2022 on a nationwide, representative sample of 1090 adults in Poland. The computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) technique was used. Daily tobacco smoking was declared by 28.8% of respondents (27.1% of females and 30.8% of males; p = 0.2) and 4.2% were occasional smokers (4.2% of females and 4.3% of males; p = 0.8). Most of the current smokers (62.1%) smoked regular cigarettes and 25.2% smoked hand-rolled cigarettes. The prevalence of daily e-cigarette use was 4.8% (4.0% among females and 5.6% among males; p = 0.2). Daily heated tobacco use was declared by 4.0% of respondents (5.1% of females and 2.9% of males; p = 0.07). Age, having children, and educational level were significantly associated with current daily tobacco smoking. This study revealed a high prevalence of tobacco and e-cigarette use among adults in Poland. The presented data underscore the importance of further improvements in adopting a comprehensive tobacco control strategy in Poland.

The Potential Benefits of the Influenza Vaccination on COVID-19 Mortality Rate-A Retrospective Analysis of Patients in Poland.

In this study,we used publicly available data from the Centrum e-Zdrowia (CeZ) Polish Databank proposing a possible correlation between influenza vaccination and mortality due to COVID-19. We limited our search to the patients with positive COVID­19 laboratory tests from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2021 and who filled a prescription for any influenza vaccine during the 2019-2020 influenza season. In total, we included 116,277 patients and used a generalized linear model to analyze the data.We found out that patients aged 60+ who received an influenza vaccination have a lower probability of death caused by COVID-19 in comparison to unvaccinated, and the magnitude of this difference grows with age. For people below 60 years old, we did not observe an influence of the vaccination. Our results suggest a potential protective effect of the influenza vaccine on COVID-19 mortality of the elderly. Administration of the influenza vaccine before the influenza season would reduce the burden of increased influenza incidence, the risk of influenza and COVID­19 coinfection and render the essential medical resources accessible to cope with another wave of COVID-19. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing a correlation between influenza vaccination and the COVID-19 mortality rate in Poland.

Statins in COVID-19 Therapy.

Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3methylgultaryl-coenzyme A reductase (statins) are one of the main groups of drugs used in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases worldwide. They are widely available, cheap, and well-tolerated. Based on statins' pleiotropic properties, including improvement of endothelial dysfunction, antioxidant properties, atherosclerotic plaque stabilization, and inhibition of inflammatory responses, it can be hypothesized that the use of statins, at least as an adjuvant in antiviral therapy, may be justified. All these effects might be especially beneficial in patients with COVID-19, suffering from endothelial dysfunction, microvascular and macrovascular thrombosis, and cytokine storm. Here, we review the recent data regarding the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 activity in host cells, proposed COVID-19 therapy, the pleiotropic activity of statins, and statins in clinical trials in respiratory infections. According to the guidelines of the European and American Cardiac Societies, in patients with cardiovascular disease or high cardiovascular risk with concomitant COVID-19 it is recommended to continue statin treatment. However, the initiation of statin therapy de novo in COVID-19 treatment should only be done as part of a clinical trial.

Dynamics of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Poland: an epidemiological analysis of the first 2 months of the epidemic.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID­19) is an infectious disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to present an epidemiological analysis of the first 2 months (March and April 2020) of the COVID­19 epidemic in Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This analysis was based on data from epidemiological reports collected between March 4 and April 30, 2020, by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. These epidemiological reports include data on sociodemographic characteristics of new laboratory­confirmed COVID 19 cases, the number of COVID­19-related deaths, the number of recovered COVID-19 patients as well as the number of laboratory tests performed. RESULTS: From March 4 to April 30, 2020, a total of 12 877 laboratory­confirmed COVID 19 cases were registered in Poland (55.7% women; mean [SD] age, 50.6 [20.5] years). The RT­ PCR test was performed in 338 000 patients. The notification rate for COVID­19 was 33.2 per 100 000 inhabitants. One third of laboratory­confirmed COVID 19 cases were among quarantined persons, 26.1% were related to the healthcare system (hospital or clinic), and 13.3% occurred in nursing homes. As of April 30, 2020, 644 COVID­19-related deaths were registered in Poland (46.5% women). The death rate for the whole country was 1.7 per 100 000 inhabitants. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed higher notification rate for COVID­19 among women than men, but men were more likely to die from COVID­19. The notification rate for COVID-19 in Poland among women aged 45 to 54 years was 2­fold higher than among men.

Occupational risks for SARS-CoV-2 infection: the Polish experience.

OBJECTIVES: The disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), termed COVID-19, is asymptomatic or mild in most cases. These patients do not need treatment in hospital and can be isolated at home. To date, most studies have been conducted among inpatients with severe COVID-19. In this study, the authors surveyed patients with mild COVID-19 who remained in home isolation, and analyzed the sources and occupational risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on April 17-18, 2020, among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who remained in home isolation in Poland. Data were acquired through a structured interview that included questions about the isolation course, symptoms, comorbidities, infection source, household characteristics, occupation, and workplace. Data were presented with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of the 4878 patients in home isolation, the authors were able to contact 3313. Of them, 1191 patients declined their invitation, and 2122 agreed to take part. The median age of the patients included in the study was 50 years; 59% were female. Most patients (92%) had not been abroad before the infection. More than half (55%) knew how they became infected; of them, 75% became infected at work. Of all patients, 70% were occupationally active. Nearly half of the occupationally active patients (48%) worked in healthcare, 3% worked in public administration or defense, 3% worked in transportation, and 2% worked in education. Sixty-five percent of the occupationally active patients worked in companies with >100 employees. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the patients with COVID-19 in home isolation in Poland were occupationally active, wherein the majority of people who were aware of the source of SARS-CoV-2 infection worked in healthcare. As most of the infected patients worked in companies with >100 employees, which is not a Polish employment pattern, the authors expect that smaller companies may have a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):781-9.

Sex differences in the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders in 1942 nonhospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is a communicable disease caused by a novel coronavirus. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess self­reported frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders in nonhospitalized patients with COVID­19 in Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross­sectional survey was conducted between April 17 and 18, 2020, in 4516 nonhospitalized patients with COVID­19 in Poland. The questionnaire included 8 questions related to the health status, symptoms of COVID­19, comorbidities, and smoking status. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were obtained from 1942 patients with COVID­19 with a response rate of 43%. The median age of the respondents was 50 years; 60.2% were women. Among nonhospitalized patients with COVID­19, 21.3% had hypertension, 4.5% had diabetes, and 3.1% had a chronic respiratory disease. Regular tobacco use was declared by 11.2% of patients with COVID­19. At least one gastrointestinal symptom was reported by 53.6% of patients. Almost half of patients (47%) with COVID­19 reported lack of appetite and 24.2% reported diarrhea. Among 1942 interviewed patients, 54.2% reported at least 1 olfactory or taste disorder and 42.5% reported both alterations. Self­reported olfactory and taste disorders were 49.2% and 47.5%, respectively. Self­reported frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders during COVID­19 was significantly higher (P <0.001) in women than men. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that olfactory and taste disorders are frequent symptoms in patients with mild­to­moderate COVID­19. Moreover, our study indicated sex differences in the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders among nonhospitalized patients with COVID­19.

Diagnostic role of chest computed tomography in coronavirus disease 2019.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID­19) is an infectious disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS­CoV­2), that appeared in China in December 2019 and spread globally, evolving into the currently observed pandemic. The laboratory diagnosis of SARS­CoV­2 infection is currently based on real­time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT­PCR) testing, and imaging cannot replace genetic testing in patients with suspected COVID­19. However, with predominant respiratory manifestations of COVID­19, particularly in more severe cases, chest imaging using computed tomography (CT) plays a major role in detecting viral lung infection, evaluating the nature and extent of pulmonary lesions, and monitoring the disease activity. The role of chest CT as a diagnostic tool may be increased when the laboratory testing capacities using RT­PCR prove inaccurate or insufficient during a major outbreak of the disease. In these settings, a rapid presumptive diagnosis of COVID­19 potentially offered by CT might be an advantage, in addition to obvious benefits of delineating the nature and extent of pulmonary lesions. In the present paper, we reviewed the diagnostic role of chest CT in patients with COVID­19.