For CHEST 2021 and Beyond, Expect to Hear More About Cannabis, COVID-19, Chronic Lung Disease

Don Sin, MD, FRCP, MPH, who is presenting at CHEST 2021 on the topic of precision medicine and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, discusses other topics of interest at CHEST 2021, which takes place virtually from October 17 to October 20, 2021. He is a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of British Columbia and head of the Centre of Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’s Hospital.

Transcript

Looking ahead to the CHEST 2021 meeting, are there any topics that you think are key for clinicians or researchers to attend?

I think the one that's going to come up very prominently, maybe not at this conference, but going forward, is the effect of cannabis, so, weed smoking, on lung health. In Canada, as you know, it’s completely legal, and I think many states in the US are moving towards that direction and consumption of cannabis as an inhalant has skyrocketed in North America. The full impact on lung health of cannabis smoking is certainly not known. So I think that you'll see more of that in the next few years. And obviously, with COVID, not just with COVID, but respiratory infections in general, in individuals with pre-existing chronic lung disease, is also a prominent topic of discussion and research. And even if we get out of this pandemic, which we will, I think the importance of respiratory tract infection, particularly with viruses, has been highlighted and the importance emphasized during this pandemic.