What do vapers, smokers, and non-smokers with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes have in common? They all are at higher risk for COVID-19.
The scientific explanation behind this is complex and not yet certain -- but it may boil down to an enzyme known as ACE2, that lives on the surface of many cells in the lungs and serves as the entry point for the coronavirus.
Evidence shows that people with chronic inflammatory illnesses, vulnerable older adults, and those who smoke or vape, all have an abundance of ACE2 receptor proteins to serve as a gateway to the deadly virus.
A research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center, led by Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., published a series of studies during the pandemic that focus on the vital role of ACE2 -- which is already at the center of many other scientific investigations -- to shape a clearer picture of the critical cellular mechanisms that regulate the deadly virus and its link to vaping.
While Rochester investigators are working in lock step with scientists around the world, Rahman's special interest is on the growing problem of young people who test positive and may be spreading coronavirus at alarming rates. Even some older children and teens who have higher levels of the ACE2 receptor seem to be more vulnerable to the virus.
"Our next step is to investigate whether ACE2 is normally low in young people, hence their relatively low infection and mortality rates from COVID-19, but to find out if ACE2 is increased by smoking or vaping rendering them more susceptible to the virus," said Rahman, Dean's Professor of Environmental Medicine , Medicine (Pulmonary), and Public Health Sciences. "This would be in contrast to older people with lung diseases such as COPD and pulmonary fibrosis, who we already know are at higher risk for severe viral illnesses and death."
A post-doctoral scientist in Rahman's lab, Gangandeep Kaur, Ph.D., had prior experience investigating tuberculosis and thus led the new effort to study ties between vaping and coronavirus. The team has published several key peer-reviewed articles relevant to the issue:
The review suggests that health care providers should ask patients about their smoking and vaping history, to better identify people who could be at higher risk for coronavirus complications, according to the Journal of Inflammation article. Currently, the Rahman lab is examining blood and saliva samples of young people who have been infected with COVID-19 to evaluate ACE2 levels and see if the ACE2 protein can be a biomarker for a rapid coronavirus test.
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Frontiers in Pharmacology