American research highlights that e-cigarettes, in addition to traditional tobacco, are also associated with a greater risk of fragility fractures for the weakened skeleton
Not just cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Smoking among the scientifically certain causes of 25 different diseases and to the list of health damage caused by tobacco must also be added those on muscles and bones, less known to many people, but potentially responsible for considerable complications in the outcome of orthopedic interventions among the most common. While traditional smoking is a well-known risk factor for osteoporosis and the possible fractures that follow, little is known about the possible damage to the musculoskeletal system from e-cigarettes. Now for a study, published by US researchers in the American Journal of Medicine Open, conducted on over 5,500 adult e-cig users, has shown that, even in young people, these can weaken the bone structure and increase the odds. of fragility fractures.
The fractures
In medicine a fragility fracture is defined as that which occurs spontaneously, without an apparent cause (such as a major trauma), at the base of which there is the reduced resistance of the skeleton. The areas most frequently affected are the spine, hips or wrists. In their survey, the American researchers evaluated the data relating to more than 5,500 people: 4,519 had never used e-cigarettes and 1,050 were regular users. In all 444 people had fragility fractures, which were more frequent in those who use e-cig and even more in dual users of both electronic and traditional cigarettes.This study confirms that electronic cigarettes are not completely harmless – comments Roberto Boffi , head of the Pneumology Unit and the Anti-Smoking Center at the National Cancer Institute of Milan -: if we think that the percentage of users of these devices among young people is gradually increasing, as has already happened for some time in the USA and now also in Italy , and that the average age of initiation to use is increasingly falling, we certainly cannot underestimate the danger. Especially with the spread on the market of the new electronic cigarettes with nicotine salts, capable of giving even four times more addiction than traditional cigarettes. In the light of this study also for the safeguard of the skeletal system of today’s adolescents, as well as adults of tomorrow.
The damage to the kids
E-cigarettes have been hailed as a good alternative to the traditional cigarette compared to which they carry several fewer risks. Some studies, however, indicate that, on the contrary, they could be the gateway to real smoking. It is true that the electronic cigarette is certainly less harmful than traditional tobacco, but it cannot be said that it is harmless due to the presence of some dangerous substances, such as heavy metals and aldehydes in the aerosol – adds Boffi -. Outcomes achieved so far show measurable adverse effects on health and on lung cells, in people, in animals and on tissue samples analyzed in the laboratory. Several scientific studies have shown an increase in respiratory disorders in adolescents and boys who vape, such as bronchitis, asthma, breathlessness, inflammation. And then there are many clues collected regarding the damage to the lungs of young people and adults, including a certain case history of lipoid pneumonia, which can occur from the inhalation of oily substances.
Benefits of quitting at any age
The data from the Smoke, Alcohol and Drugs Observatory (Ossfad) of the Istituto Superiore di Sanit (Iss) show that the majority of Italian e-cig users are in any case dual, i.e. they smoke both normal and electronic cigarettes, while among users There are both smokers who have quit and people who have approached smoking for the first time. Tobacco is the leading cause of death in our country, alone responsible for 83 thousand deaths every year. Over 80 percent of the 40 thousand cases of lung cancer identified each year in Italy concern those who have been a smoker and many different types of tumors are directly linked to tobacco, to which must be added thousands of cases of different respiratory and cardiovascular diseases . There are several proven ways to get rid of tobacco addiction: pills, patches, inhalers, chewing gum, and medications to ease withdrawal symptoms. Several studies have shown that it is never late to quit (you can have advantages at any age) and that, to be successful, it is essential to customize the intervention on the habits of the individual smoker: contact one of the many Anti-Smoking Centers (toll-free number 800.554. 088) may be the best way to receive both psychological support and the most appropriate medication or support.
January 3, 2022 (change January 3, 2022 | 21:24)
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