Electronic cigarettes, what happens to the respiratory tract of young people who vape? – time.news

2023-08-16 15:01:18

by Health Editor

A new study published in the Thorax journal shows that, regardless of smoking classic cigarettes, the use of e-cigarettes increases the risk of developing disorders such as bronchitis and shortness of breath

Adolescents and young adults who vape face an increased risk of respiratory ailments, such as bronchitis and shortness of breath, independent of exposure to classic cigarettes and cannabis. This is suggested by a prospective study, published in the scientific journal Thorax, which investigated the association between respiratory health of adolescents and young adults and the use of electronic cigarettes, examining symptoms such as wheezing, bronchitis and shortness of breath.

I study

To identify possible respiratory symptoms associated with e-cigarette use, researchers monitored the respiratory health of a group of adolescents who participated in the Southern California Children’s Health Study between 2014 and 2018. In 2014, more than two thousand participants, with an average age of 17, filled out the first questionnaire with questions on the use of electronic and classic cigarettes in the previous thirty days; in addition, the boys were asked to indicate any respiratory disorders such as daily cough for 3 consecutive months or bronchitis in the previous 12 months, or congestion or catarrh other than when they have a cold; wheezing (or whistling in the chest) in the previous 12 months, shortness of breath when walking up hills or in a hurry on flat area. Follow-up information was collected in 2015 (1609 youths involved), in 2017 when the question on cannabis use was added to the survey (1502 youths involved), in 2018 (1637 youths).

Results

The study found that the odds of wheezing were 81 percent higher among e-cigarette users in the past 30 days, compared with those who had never used them; the odds of bronchitis symptoms were twice as high and shortness of breath was 78 percent more likely among e-cigarette users. Taking into account the concomitant use of classic cigarettes and cannabis, the researchers concluded that “the results of the study strengthen the epidemiological evidence of the adverse respiratory effects of electronic cigarettes
that are consistent with the known effects of e-cigarette ingredients.” As this was an observational study, the researchers acknowledge that definitive conclusions about cause and effect cannot be drawn, and further studies will be needed.

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August 16, 2023 (change August 16, 2023 | 3:00 pm)

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