PITTSBURGH. SO MUCH TO GET TO, BUT I WANT TO
START WITH A BIG PICTURE
QUESTION BECAUSE WE’VE ALL HEARD
BY THIS TIME IF YOU HAVE A
COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM, YOU
ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE. GREAT QUESTION FROM MISS WENDY.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A COMPROMISED
IMMUNE SYSTEM?
IMMUNE SYSTEM? DO AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES LIKE
LUPUS, MS, FALL UNDER THIS?
>> THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION I’M
GETTING FROM MY PATIENTS SINCE
I’M A RHEUMATOLOGIST.
WE THINK OF CHRONIC DISEASES
THAT COULD AFFECT YOUR IMMUNE
SYSTEM, CHRONIC HYPERTENSION,
HEART DISEASE, DIABETES,
UNDERLYING LUNG DISEASE ARE AT
GREATER RISK.
GREATER RISK. PATIENTS WHO ARE ALSO CURRENTLY
BEING TREATED WITH IMMUNOE OO
IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE INSIDE
IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE INSIDE MEDICINES ARE ALSO IMMUNO
COMPROMISED.
COMPROMISED. THERE’S A VARYING DEGREE OF
INNATE SUSCEPTIBLITY WHEN YOU
HAVE A CONDITION SUCH AS LUPUS
OR RA BUT AREN’T BEING TREATED.
THERE IS SOME ALTERED IMMUNITY
THERE BUT HOW MUCH OF THAT IS
GOING TO PLAY A ROLE IN THIS
PARTICULAR OUTBREAK AS OPPOSED
TO THE FLU OR ANY OTHER THING,
WE JUST DON’T KNOW YET.
SO I WOULD SAY THE TAKE HOME
HERE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE
UNDERLYING AUTOIMMUNE OR
INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, YOU’LL
BE EXTRA VIGILANT.
WORK FROM HOME IF YOU CAN.
IF YOU ARE ON MEDICINES THAT DO
SUPPRESS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM,
YOU’RE FULL BLOWN IN THAT
CATEGORY YOU’RE AT GREATER RISK.
>> WE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF
PATIENTS WHO ARE DEALING WITH
ONE MALADY IN PARTICULAR.
HERE’S WHAT JESS HAD TO ASK.
JESS ASKED, I KEEP HEARING THAT
PEOPLE WITH DIABETES ARE MORE AT
RISK.
RISK. DOES THAT APPLY TO TYPE 1 DI
DIABETICS AS WELL?
I’M A 38-YEAR-OLD TYPE 1 AND MY
BLOOD SUGARS ARE NOT PERFECT.
AM I MORE AT RISK?
TYPE 1 GROUPS HAVE BEEN ASKING
THIS WITH NO ANSWERS.
REMIND US WHAT TYPE 1 DIABETES
IS AND IF WE CAN GET AN ANSWER
TO THE QUESTION.
>> TYPE 1 IS CONSIDERED AN
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. USUALLY PATIENTS PRESENT WHEN
THEY’RE YOUNGER.
THEY’RE YOUNGER. THEY’RE INSULIN DEPENDENT.
THEIR BODIES DON’T MAKE INSULIN.
TYPE 2 IS INSULIN RESISTANCE.
IT’S ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY.
THAT’S WHERE YOUR BODY IS MAKING
INSULIN BUT YOU’RE NOT
RESPONDING TO IT OR CAN’T
UTILIZE IT.
UTILIZE IT. BOTH CONDITIONS ARE
CHARACTERIZED BY ELEVATED BLOOD
GLUCOSE LEVELS THAT CAN HAVE
SIGNIFICANCE IN TERMS OF CHRONIC
SUQUELLA.
SUQUELLA. WHETHER A TYPE 1 IS MORE OR LESS
IMMUNO COMPROMISED THAN A TYPE
2, I’M NOT SURE THAT I CAN TELL
YOU SPECIFICALLY.
YOU SPECIFICALLY. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS POOR GLUCOSE
CONTROL IN GENERAL, SINCE IT’S
ASSOCIATED WITH SO MANY OTHER
CONSEQUENCES WOULD BE THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING.
IMPORTANT THING. NOT WHETHER OR NOT IT’S TYPE 1
OR TYPE 2.
IF THERE’S ANY ENDOCRINOLOGISTS
OUT THERE THAT HAVE A BETTER
ANSWER, I’M HAPPY TO HEAR IT.
>> A QUESTION ALL OF US FOUND
FASCINATING AND SPEAKS TO WHERE
WE ARE TODAY.
I’M A STUDENT, REGGIE SAYS, AT
LOYOLA
LOYOLA LOYOLA.
LOYOLA. WITH THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
AND THE FLOOD OF INFORMATION, I
WAS WONDERING IF YOUNG KIDS WHO
JUUL/VAPE/SMOKE ARE AT THE SAME
RISK AS ELDERLY PEOPLE FOR
RESPIRATORY AND OTHER
COMPLICATIONS.
COMPLICATIONS. >> WE GOT A TON OF QUESTIONS ON
VAPING.
VAPING. >> I STARTED SEEING THAT.
I NEED TO DIG DEEP ON THAT.
NOT AT THE MOMENT.
>> SMOKING AND VAPING EQUALLY
AFFECT THE LUNGS.
I WON’T SAY EXACTLY EQUALLY BUT
VAPING IS SMOKING SO YOU’RE
AUTOMATICALLY LOWERING YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM WHEN YOU’RE VAPING
AND SMOKING.
AND SMOKING. >> BEFORE WE GET TO THE QUESTION
FROM LAURA.
FROM LAURA. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
CONVERSATION, I DON’T KNOW IS A
PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE ANSWER AND
THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF
QUESTIONS WE DON’T HAVE AN
ANSWER FOR.
ANSWER FOR. I DON’T KNOW IN THIS CASE MAY BE
THE RIGHT ANSWER BECAUSE THIS
IS, AS WE SAID, A NEW, A NOVEL
VIRUS.
VIRUS. WE JUST DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. LET’S SEE IF WE CAN HELP LAURA
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
IN PENNSYLVANIA. HERE’S WHAT SHE ASKED.
LAUR WRITES, MY MOM IS A TEACHER
IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND HAS
A COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM DUE
TO PREVIOUS CANCER TREATMENT.
A MOTHER OF ONE OF THE STUDENTS
IS IN QUARANTINE FROM BEING IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH SOMEONE WHO
HAS THE VIRUS.
BUT THEY ARE ALLOWING THE CHILD
TO GO TO SCHOOL.
SHOULD THE CHILD ALSO BE
QUARANTINED, AND IS THIS SAFE
FOR MY MOM TO GO TO WORK?
>> SO THE ANSWER, AT LEAST FOR
NOW, AND I THINK IT MAY DEPEND
IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF SPREAD IN
YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOUR COMMUNITY. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MAY
SUGGEST OTHERWISE.
SUGGEST OTHERWISE. BUT FOR THE MOMENT, IF SOMEBODY
IS BEING -- LET’S JUST DEFINE
WHAT QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION
ARE.
ARE. QUARANTINE IS YOU ARE NOT SICK
BUT YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED AND YOU
NEED TO PUT YOURSELF IN
QUARANTINE FOR TWO TO 14 DAYS,
THE INCUBATION PERIOD.
ISOLATION IS IF YOU’RE ACTUALLY
SICK AND THEN YOU’RE IN
ISOLATION BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT
TO INFECT OTHER PEOPLE.
IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL LIVING
IN A HOME AND YOU YOURSELF ARE
IN QUARANTINE BECAUSE YOU WERE
EXPOSED, YOUR CONTACTS DO NOT
ALSO NEED TO BE IN QUARANTINE
WHICH MEANS PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITH
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE
ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT. THE CONTACT OF A CONTACT IS NOT
CONSIDERED A RISK.
AGAIN, IF THERE’S A LOT OF
ACTIVITY WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY
OF COMMUNITY SPREAD, YOUR
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MIGHT SAY,
LISTEN, IF ONE PERSON IN YOUR
HOUSE IS QUARANTINED, BETTER TO
HAVE EVERYONE STAY.
FOR THE MOMENT WHEN I SPOKE TO
OUR EPIDEMIOLOGIST, CONTACTS OF
CONTACTS DON’T NEED TO BE IN
QUARANTINE.
QUARANTINE. >> SHAONE MORRISONN, I CAN’T
IMAGINE HOW MANY QUESTIONS
YOU’RE GETTING.
YOU’RE GETTING. I’M GOING TO ASK YOU SOMETHING
SPECIFIC FROM THIS 74-YEAR-OLD
BY THE NAME OF JCB.
IT’S REALLY PART OF A LARGER
QUESTION THAT WE’RE HEARING A
LOT ABOUT LIKE HOW OLD IS TOO
OLD?
OLD? THERE ARE A LOT OF HEALTHY 75
AND 80-YEAR-OLDS.
AND 80-YEAR-OLDS. THERE ARE PEOPLE MAYBE NOT SO
HEALTHY WHO ARE 60.
IN THIS CASE, THIS PERSON SAYS
I’M 74 WITH EARLY ONSET COPD.
I’VE HAD BOTH A PCV 13 SHOT AND
A PPSV 23 FOR PNEUMONIA.
AS HAVE MANY OTHER SENIORS.
ARE WE PROTECTED?
SOMEWHAT PROTECTED?
SOMEWHAT PROTECTED? IF I’VE GOTTEN A FLU SHOT, AM I
LESS LIKELY TO GET THIS?
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO THE
SENIORS YOU DEAL WITH?
>> THE FIRST THING WE’RE SAYING
IS THE QUESTION YOU HAD, AM I AT
RISK.
RISK. AND THE ANSWER TO THAT IS, WE
DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHO IS AT
RISK BUT WE KNOW THAT THOSE OVER
THE AGE OF 60 ARE AT HIGH RISK
OF HAVING SEVERE ILLNESS AND
THOSE WHO ARE UNDER AGE 60.
AND RIGHT NOW WE CAN’T TELL YOU
EXACTLY WHO IS AT HIGHER RISK
WITHIN THAT GROUP.
WHAT WE ALSO KNOW IS THERE IS NO
CURRENT VACCINE FOR COVID-19.
SO IF YOU’VE HAD THE FLU SHOT.
IF YOU’VE HAD A PNEUMONIA