Adolescents and adults are affected differently by vaping and have different health concerns, according to Ilona Jaspers, PhD, director of toxicology and the deputy director of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina.
Adolescents and adults are affected differently by vaping and have different health concerns, according to Ilona Jaspers, PhD, director of toxicology and the deputy director of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina. She is also a professor of pediatrics, microbiology, and immunology.
Transcript:
How are adolescents impacted by vaping differently than adults, and why does this occur?
So, I think it is because the lungs are not fully developed in teenagers. And so, are there any developmental concerns that could unfold later in life? That's certainly one thing. One aspect that we are currently really interested in is that about 18 months ago, all research, even the vaping research, had a shift towards COVID-19. Everyone is doing COVID-19. Everyone in the respiratory field is doing something related to COVID-19. And 1 concern for us was that there are epidemiological studies indicating that those who vape e-cigarettes, either alone or together with conventional cigarettes, are more likely to get COVID-19 and may have, other disease outcomes. So, we're still actively investigating that.
But another aspect that's hitting us, potentially right now, is does vaping potentially affect the ability and longevity of COVID-19 vaccine antibodies? And that is obviously of importance to teenagers and young adults because probably, once they get the vaccine, they think it's basically back to 2019 and are behaving accordingly. But are their behaviors or their their use of e-cigarettes and vaping actually modify potentially their immunity, either acutely or long term? That is something that we're actively investigating now.
ATS 2024: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future of Respiratory Care
May 16th 2024The application of artificial intelligence in medicine is anticipated as a highlight of ATS 2024, with sessions exploring its applications in research, radiological interpretation, and pediatric pulmonology.
Read More
Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach
May 9th 2024In the series debut episode of "Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity," Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Listen
Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience
April 30th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.
Listen
Posters Characterize DMD Caregiver Experiences, Impact of Gene Therapy on Caregiving Demands
May 10th 2024Posters presented at the ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research meeting explored Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) caregiver experiences and gene therapy’s impact on work opportunities for caregivers.
Read More