COVID-19 infection might increase a person’s risk of developing asthma, seasonal allergies and long-lasting sinus problems, a new study says. However, vaccination appears to reduce this risk, researchers report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “It is interesting to see that vaccination not only protects against the infection itself, but also appears to provide good protection against certain respiratory complications,” senior investigator Philip Curman, a researcher in medical epidemiology and biostatistics at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a news release. For the study, researchers compared nearly 974,000 people who’d been infected with COVID with more than 4.4 million people who’d been neither infected nor vaccinated. The records came from a major U.S. electronic health database. Results showed that COVID patients had a 66% increased risk of developing asthma. They also had a 74% higher risk of chronic sinus inflammation and a 27% increased risk of hay fever, researchers said. However, infection did not increase risk of other diseases like eczema or esophageal inflammation, researchers siad. “Our results suggest that COVID-19 can trigger type-2 inflammation in the airways, but not in other organs,” Curman said. The team also compared healthy people against those vaccinated against COVID and found the opposite effect — risk of asthma was 32% lower against those who’d gotten the jab. But when COVID patients were compared to those vaccinated against…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 infection might increase a person’s risk of developing asthma, seasonal allergies and long-lasting sinus problems, a new study says. However, vaccination appears to reduce this risk, researchers report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “It is interesting to see that vaccination not only protects against the infection itself, but also appears to provide good protection against certain respiratory complications,” senior investigator Philip Curman, a researcher in medical epidemiology and biostatistics at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a news release. For the study, researchers compared nearly 974,000 people who’d been infected with COVID with more than 4.4 million people who’d been neither infected nor vaccinated. The records came from a major U.S. electronic health database. Results showed that COVID patients had a 66% increased risk of developing asthma. They also had a 74% higher risk of chronic sinus inflammation and a 27% increased risk of hay fever, researchers said. However, infection did not increase risk of other diseases like eczema or esophageal inflammation, researchers siad. “Our results suggest that COVID-19 can trigger type-2 inflammation in the airways, but not in other organs,” Curman said. The team also compared healthy people against those vaccinated against COVID and found the opposite effect — risk of asthma was 32% lower against those who’d gotten the jab. But when COVID patients were compared to those vaccinated against…  read on >  read on >

Vaping appears to act as a gateway to cigarette smoking among young people, a new evidence review says. E-cigarettes also were significantly linked to risk of asthma and substance use, researchers reported Aug. 19 in the journal Tobacco Control. “The consistency in the evidence is striking,” said lead researcher Su Golder, an associate professor in health science at the University of York in the U.K.  “Across multiple studies, young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke in the future,” she said in a news release. “These findings support stronger public health measures to protect teens from the risks associated with vaping.” For the new paper, researchers pooled data from 56 prior reviews of research regarding vaping. The results show that vaping increases risk of taking up smoking, with risk estimates ranging from 50% to 26-fold higher, researchers said. Most reviews found that young people who vape are about three times more likely to start smoking, compared to those who don’t vape, the paper says. The new analysis also linked vaping to substance use, including: Nearly triple to sixfold greater odds of marijuana use. 4.5 to more than sixfold increased risk of drinking. 4.5 to nearly sevenfold increased risk of binge drinking. Vapers also had a 20% to 36% increased risk of asthma, with a 44% higher risk of worsening asthma symptoms, researchers reported.…  read on >  read on >

Vaping appears to act as a gateway to cigarette smoking among young people, a new evidence review says. E-cigarettes also were significantly linked to risk of asthma and substance use, researchers reported Aug. 19 in the journal Tobacco Control. “The consistency in the evidence is striking,” said lead researcher Su Golder, an associate professor in health science at the University of York in the U.K.  “Across multiple studies, young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke in the future,” she said in a news release. “These findings support stronger public health measures to protect teens from the risks associated with vaping.” For the new paper, researchers pooled data from 56 prior reviews of research regarding vaping. The results show that vaping increases risk of taking up smoking, with risk estimates ranging from 50% to 26-fold higher, researchers said. Most reviews found that young people who vape are about three times more likely to start smoking, compared to those who don’t vape, the paper says. The new analysis also linked vaping to substance use, including: Nearly triple to sixfold greater odds of marijuana use. 4.5 to more than sixfold increased risk of drinking. 4.5 to nearly sevenfold increased risk of binge drinking. Vapers also had a 20% to 36% increased risk of asthma, with a 44% higher risk of worsening asthma symptoms, researchers reported.…  read on >  read on >

Sensitive people tend to have a higher risk of developing a mood disorder, a new evidence review says. In particular, highly sensitive souls are more likely to develop depression or suffer from anxiety, researchers report in the journal Clinical Psychological Science. “This is the first meta-analysis providing robust evidence that highly sensitive people are more prone to common mental health problems,” said senior researcher Michael Pluess, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Surrey in the U.K. “However, it is important to remember that highly sensitive people are also more responsive to positive experiences, including psychological treatment,” he added in a news release. For the review, researchers pooled data from 33 prior studies looking at the mental health of nearly 12,700 people. The team focused on sensitivity, a personality trait that reflects a heightened ability to perceive and process stimuli like bright lights, subtle changes in surroundings and other people’s moods. About 31% of the general population are considered highly sensitive, researchers said in background notes. “This is the most extensive systematic review on sensitivity and mental health in adolescents and adults to date, and is the first ever meta-analysis on the topic to estimate the impact of this relationship,” lead researcher Tom Falkenstein, a psychotherapist and doctoral student at Queen Mary University of London, said in a news release. Sensitivity is often…  read on >  read on >

Sensitive people tend to have a higher risk of developing a mood disorder, a new evidence review says. In particular, highly sensitive souls are more likely to develop depression or suffer from anxiety, researchers report in the journal Clinical Psychological Science. “This is the first meta-analysis providing robust evidence that highly sensitive people are more prone to common mental health problems,” said senior researcher Michael Pluess, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Surrey in the U.K. “However, it is important to remember that highly sensitive people are also more responsive to positive experiences, including psychological treatment,” he added in a news release. For the review, researchers pooled data from 33 prior studies looking at the mental health of nearly 12,700 people. The team focused on sensitivity, a personality trait that reflects a heightened ability to perceive and process stimuli like bright lights, subtle changes in surroundings and other people’s moods. About 31% of the general population are considered highly sensitive, researchers said in background notes. “This is the most extensive systematic review on sensitivity and mental health in adolescents and adults to date, and is the first ever meta-analysis on the topic to estimate the impact of this relationship,” lead researcher Tom Falkenstein, a psychotherapist and doctoral student at Queen Mary University of London, said in a news release. Sensitivity is often…  read on >  read on >

Want to keep your brain healthy as you age? Regularly volunteer some of your time to your community, neighborhood, friends or family, a new study suggests. People who regularly lend a hand slow their rate of aging-related brain decline by 15% to 20%, researchers report in the October issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine. This benefit was consistently observed when people devoted two to four hours a week helping others, researchers said. “Everyday acts of support — whether organized or personal — can have lasting cognitive impact,” said lead researcher Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. “What stood out to me was that the cognitive benefits of helping others weren’t just short-term boosts but cumulative over time with sustained engagement, and these benefits were evident for both formal volunteering and informal helping,” Han said in a news release. “And in addition to that, moderate engagement of just two to four hours was consistently linked to robust benefits.” For the study, researchers tracked more than 31,000 adults in the U.S. age 51 and older who participated in the federal Health and Retirement Survey between 1998 and 2020. Results showed that age-related cognitive decline slowed among people who started volunteering, either as part of an organized effort or informally among their neighbors,…  read on >  read on >

Want to keep your brain healthy as you age? Regularly volunteer some of your time to your community, neighborhood, friends or family, a new study suggests. People who regularly lend a hand slow their rate of aging-related brain decline by 15% to 20%, researchers report in the October issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine. This benefit was consistently observed when people devoted two to four hours a week helping others, researchers said. “Everyday acts of support — whether organized or personal — can have lasting cognitive impact,” said lead researcher Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. “What stood out to me was that the cognitive benefits of helping others weren’t just short-term boosts but cumulative over time with sustained engagement, and these benefits were evident for both formal volunteering and informal helping,” Han said in a news release. “And in addition to that, moderate engagement of just two to four hours was consistently linked to robust benefits.” For the study, researchers tracked more than 31,000 adults in the U.S. age 51 and older who participated in the federal Health and Retirement Survey between 1998 and 2020. Results showed that age-related cognitive decline slowed among people who started volunteering, either as part of an organized effort or informally among their neighbors,…  read on >  read on >