This study builds on preliminary studies in self-selected populations to identify opportunities for early identification of World Trade Center (WTC)-related health consequences in adolescents. If adverse health consequences are identified, proactive cardiometabolic and pulmonary screening of exposed children may be indicated, with targeted interventions intended to prevent development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood.
NYU School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are assessing the potential for longer-latency cardiometabolic and pulmonary effects of early life exposure to the WTC disaster. Preliminary data from a clinical sample identified decrements in spirometry associated with dust cloud exposure, and a remarkably high frequency of cardiometabolic risk factors. Findings from this self-selected population cannot be extrapolated to the entire population of children who were exposed to the disaster, and so the collaborators are recruiting 225 adolescents who respond to the WTCHR, the most representative pediatric population and best-characterized from an environmental exposure standpoint. Connecting the study to the WTCHR efficiently utilizes federal resources, providing more objective clinical data to support self-reported findings of increased persistent respiratory symptoms captured by the WTCHR, thereby improving reliability of the registry data. We will compare pulmonary and cardiometabolic outcomes to carefully matched (age, race/ethnicity, gender, current borough of residence and socioeconomic status) and unexposed (not resident/attending school south of Houston Street on September 11, 2001) populations from NYU School of Medicine affiliated primary care clinics. Besides the opportunities for dietary, environmental and medical interventions for cardiometabolic and respiratory conditions related to WTC exposure, if the psychological sequelae of exposure to the WTC attacks are found to be associated (perhaps as mediators or moderators) with cardiometabolic and pulmonary effects of early life exposure to the WTC disaster this would suggest the importance of parallel screening for psychological sequelae as part of an assertive response to protect those exposed when young.
Kahn LG, Han X, Koshy TT, et al. 2018. Adolescents exposed to the World Trade Center collapse have elevated serum dioxin and furan concentrations more than 12 years later. Environ Int. 111: 268–278.
Trasande L, Koshya T, Gilberta J, et al. 2017. Serum perfluoroalkyl substances in children exposed to the World Trade Center disaster. Environmental Research. 154:212–221. (Note: funding support also provided by Project #10714)
Trasande L, Koshya T, Gilberta J, et al. 2017. Cardiometabolic profiles of adolescents and young adults exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster. Environmental Research. 160:107–114. (Note: funding support also provided by Project #10714)
