Stanford researchers discovered, through the data collected in May, that teenagers and young adults who are vapers are quite vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic as opposed to their counterparts who don’t. Research showed that for many young people who were tested to see if they had the virus, those who used e-cigarettes were highly likely to be infected.
As much as vaping is a lesser evil compared to traditional cigarette-smoking, it still depreciates the health of the vaper and it is rather well known that the coronavirus thrives when there is an underlying health condition. Vaping eventually results in severe lung injury and in extreme cases, death.
Furthermore, it has also been proven that vaping or smoking can enhance the severity of the virus once contracted. Research from the University of Rochester Medical Center has indicated that COVID-19 affects smokers and vapers more than it does the general population.
The use of vaping products and tobacco leads to the increment of the cell receptors in the lungs. This eventually results in the excess production of an enzyme called ACE2. The more receptors increase, the more there is an increased viral load exposure, and this enhances the severity of the infection.
Smoking and vaping products can severely damage the immune system, and various warnings and studies are coming up about this fatal situation. Many hospitals, including the New York-Presbyterian, have openly issued statements and warnings that express vaping and smoking as activities that could lead to COVID-19 complications.
Assessing past years when vaping emerged as a popular addiction among teens and youths, they all basked in the good feeling it brought while ignoring the consequences, but in 2019, many people began to get ill for unknown reasons. This illness resulted in the hospitalization of over 3,000 people till date. Most of these sicknesses must have been enhanced due to smoking and vaping.
A newly reported symptom of COVID-19 that appears in the oral cavity is a rash which is described or referred to as “erythematous and petechial.” Some COVID-19 sufferers were also said to have a rash on the skin while others, a mucous membrane rash with many other infections. For patients who may be a vaper, the oral rash symptom may appear as stomatitis. This is what dental professionals should look out for as the battle against the coronavirus pandemic ensues.
Patients that are traditional cigarette users are easily identified based on the present staining and malodor. However, you can’t identify patients that use vaping devices and e-cigarettes. There is no specific odor of any sort, and many people are not trained to point out the signs of vape use.
There are lots of lung infections that vaping and smoking make you susceptible to, and as such, it is better to abstain from any of them especially now with the coronavirus ravaging many countries around the globe.
Ensure you observe all the COVID-19 guidelines, and be sure to stay indoors if there is nothing important taking you out. Stay safe.
