Investigating the role of opium consumption in the severity, and outcome of COVID-19

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major challenge to healthcare systems and public health policies globally. Some people are more susceptible to coronavirus. The impact of opium use as a risk factor for COVID-19 is yet uncertain. This study investigate the effect of opium consumption on the severity of COVID-19, and its adverse consequences in opium users compared to the general population. Methods This study included 2945 COVID-19 patients that had been referred to health care centers affiliated to Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. The personal, and clinical data including clinical presentation, the severity of symptoms, and outcome were collected. Then, the COVID-19 severity, and outcome between opium users and opium non-users were compared. Results The rate of opium users was 5.13% that 87.42% of them recovered while this percentage for non-users was 86.07% (p ꞊ 0.641). In the crude regression model, the odds of the death due to COVID-19 is 0.88 (95%CI 0.54 to 1.45). The odds of the severity of COVID-19 is almost half among opium users compared with non-users (odds ratio (OR): 0.48, 95%CI 0.34 to 0.66). This association persisted after adjustment for confounders. We observed that with adjustment for confounders, opium consumption decreases the severity of COVID-19 but has no significant effect on mortality. Conclusion There was a negative association between opium use with the severity, and death due to COVID-19. However, it is suggested more laboratory and clinical trial studies using pharmaceutical morphine products, the main component of opium.