Daily Archives: October 28, 2022

If you have thought about trying to kick a smoking habit, youre not alone. Nearly 7 of 10 smokers say they want to stop. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke.

You might be tempted to turn to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other nondisposable and disposable vaping devices) as a way to ease the transition from traditional cigarettes to not smoking at all. But is smoking e-cigarettes (also called vaping) better for you than using tobacco products? Can e-cigarettes help you to stop smoking once and for all?Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at theJohns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, shares health information about vaping.

E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we dont know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, Blaha says Theres almost no doubt that vaping exposes you to fewer toxic chemicals than smoking traditional cigarettes.

However, there has been an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping. In February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and 68 deaths attributed to that condition.

These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing THC, explains Blaha.

The CDC has identified vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern among people with EVALI. Vitamin E acetate is a thickening agent often used in THC vaping products, and it was found in all lung fluid samples of EVALI patients examined by the CDC.

The CDC recommends that people:

Research from The Johns Hopkins University on vape ingredients published in October 2021 reveals thousands of chemical ingredients in vape products, most of which are not yet identified. Among those the team could identify were several potentially harmful substances, including caffeine, three chemicals never previously found in e-cigarettes, a pesticide and two flavorings linked with possible toxic effects and respiratory irritation.

Nicotine is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having aheart attack.

Is vaping bad for you? There are many unknowns about vaping, including what chemicals make up the vapor and how they affect physical health over the long term. People need to understand that e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous to your health, says Blaha. Emerging data suggestslinks to chronic lung disease and asthma, as well as associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking withcardiovascular disease. Youre exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we dont yet understand and that are probably not safe.

Both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Whats worse, says Blaha, many e-cigarette users get even more nicotine than they would from a combustible tobacco product: Users can buy extra-strength cartridges, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or increase the e-cigarettes voltage to get a greater hit of the substance.

Although theyve been promoted as an aid to help you quit smoking, e-cigarettes have not received Food and Drug Administration approval as smoking cessation devices. A recent study found that most people who intended to use e-cigarettes to kick the nicotine habit ended up continuing to use traditional and e-cigarettes.

In light of the EVALI outbreak, the CDC advises people who use e-cigarettes for smoking cessation to weigh the risks and benefits and first consider use of other FDA-approved smoking cessation options.

Among youth, e-cigarettes, especially the disposable kind, are more popular than any traditional tobacco product. According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with more than 8 in 10 of those youth using flavored e-cigarettes.

According to Blaha, there are three reasons e-cigarettes may be particularly enticing to young people. First, many teens believe vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes. Finally, youths and adults find the lack of smoke appealing. With no smell, e-cigarettes reduce some of the stigma of smoking.

What I find most concerning about the rise of vaping is that people who wouldve never smoked otherwise, especially youth, are taking up the habit, says Blaha. Its one thing if you convert from cigarette smoking to vaping. Its quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, getting hooked on nicotine often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road.

Research from the CDC shows that vaping among youth has declined somewhat since 2020. Kids being stuck at home under their parents supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to that trend.

But, Blaha says, interpreting the data is tricky, since young people change their preferences often, and, when surveyed, may not consider using disposable products such as puff bars as vaping. The same CDC report says disposable e-cigarette use has increased 1,000% among high school students and 400% among middle school students since 2019.

When the coronavirus pandemic first began, Blaha says, data show that e-cigarette sales went down, possibly because people were spending more time at home and avoiding stores and public areas.

But Blaha sees a trend that concerns him: rising rates of daily e-cigarette use among all vape users. The number of people who vaped daily used to be 1 in 5, but now its up quite a bit, which is concerning because it implies more nicotine addiction. Im keeping a close eye on that.

Vaping, smoking and other lung irritants can compound the respiratory problems associated with COVID-19.

Continued here:

5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know | Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Look at Safety

Youve probably heard a lot about vaping lately. You might also know about the recent outbreak of lung injuries and deaths linked to vaping in the U.S. But those arent the only risks that come with vaping. Heres what you need to know.

Vaping devices, also known as e-cigarettes, vape pens, and e-hookahs among other terms, come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Others are shaped like every-day objects, such as pens or USB memory sticks.

While they may look different, most vaping devices work in a similar way. Puffing activates a battery-powered heating device. This heats the liquid in a cartridge, turning it into vapors that are inhaled.

Vaping exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals. These may include the main active chemicals in tobacco (nicotine) or marijuana (THC), flavorants, and other ingredients that are added to vaping liquids. Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process.

If the liquid has nicotine in it, then the user is inhaling nicotine along with the other ingredients in the liquid, explains Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, an expert on tobacco research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

While vaping devices work similarly, some are more powerful than others. They create more vapor and deliver more chemicals.

So how safe is vaping? Studies suggest nicotine vaping may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes when people who regularly smoke switch to them as a complete replacement. But nicotine vaping could still damage your health.

Your lungs arent meant to deal with the constant challenge of non-air that people are putting into themsometimes as many as 200 puffs a dayday after day, week after week, year after year, Eissenberg says.

Youre inhaling propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavorants that were meant to be eaten but not inhaled, and nicotine, he explains. And all of those are heated up in this little reactor, which is an e-cigarette. When they get heated up, those components can turn into other potentially dangerous chemicals.

One harmful chemical may be a thickening agent called Vitamin E acetate, which is sometimes used as an additive in THC-containing vape products. The CDC identified it as a chemical of concern among people with vaping-associated lung injuries. They recommend avoiding any vaping product containing Vitamin E acetate or THC, particularly those from informal sources like friends, family, or in-person or online dealers.

Vaping is now more popular among teens than smoking traditional cigarettes. One in four high school seniors say they vaped nicotine in the past month. And studies have found that teens who vape nicotine may be more likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes.

Marijuana vaping has also increased dramatically among teens. About 20% of high school seniors vaped marijuana in the past year. The rates have more than doubled in the past two years.

New laws are aimed at curbing vaping among teens. People must now be 21 to buy any tobacco product, including vaping products. And companies can no longer produce and sell flavors that appeal to children like fruit and mint.

If youve already started vaping or smoking cigarettes, its never too late to quit. See the Wise Choices box for tips on stopping.

Originally posted here:

The Risks of Vaping | NIH News in Health

OverviewWhat is vaping?

Vaping is when you use a small, handheld device (like e-cigarettes, vape pens or mods) to inhale a mist of nicotine and flavoring (e-liquid). Its similar to smoking a cigarette, but vaping heats tiny particles out of a liquid rather than burning tobacco.

Vaping works by heating liquid in a small device so you can breathe it into your lungs. The e-cigarette, vape pen or other vaping device heats the liquid in the device to create an aerosol. This isnt water vapor. Mist from e-cigarettes contains particles of nicotine, flavoring and other substances suspended in air. You breathe these particles into your mouth from the mouthpiece, where they go down your throat and into your lungs.

An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a device that heats up the liquid nicotine and flavoring for you to breathe in. There are many varieties of e-cigarettes that go by different names, including vapes, vape pens or sticks, e-hookahs, hookah sticks, mods and personal vaporizers (PVs). They can also be collectively called electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

Most types of e-cigarettes have:

Vaping and smoking both involve inhaling nicotine and other substances into your lungs. E-cigarettes heat liquid to make an aerosol; cigarettes burn tobacco, which creates smoke.

Vaping is often thought of as safer than cigarette smoking, but vaping causes health problems, too. Both vaping and smoking are addictive and bring potentially dangerous chemicals into your body. The levels of many of these chemicals is higher when you burn tobacco. Vaping hasnt been around long enough to know what kind of long-term damage it might cause.

The particles you inhale while vaping can cause inflammation (swelling) and irritation in your lungs. This can lead to lung damage like scarring and narrowing of the tubes that bring air in and out of your lungs. Researchers dont yet know all the effects vaping can have on your body.

No. Despite the name, vaping doesnt make water vapor. It actually creates an aerosol (or mist) that contains small particles of nicotine, metal and other harmful substances.

E-liquid, also called e-juice or vape juice, is what vaping devices use to make the vapor you breathe in. E-liquids arent just water. They usually contain:

E-liquids and flavorings sometimes have other ingredients, including:

The dangers of vaping include lung and other organ damage, breathing problems, addiction and more. People tend to think of vaping as safer than smoking, but its not safe.

Problems vaping causes include:

EVALI is short for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. Its a serious lung condition caused by vaping. Vitamin E acetate, found in some e-liquids, is a possible cause.

An outbreak of EVALI in late 2019 and early 2020 put thousands of people in the hospital. At least 68 people died. Since then, EVALI cases have been declining, but people who vape can still get EVALI.

Among people who were hospitalized with severe EVALI, most were younger than 35 and used THC-containing vapes from informal sources (online, family or friends). However, EVALI can happen in anyone using either nicotine or THC-containing vapes.

Symptoms of EVALI include:

Short-term side effects of vaping include:

You may have heard the benefits of vaping are that its safe or that it helps you quit smoking. Some people vape because they think itll help them quit smoking if theyve already tried other methods and havent been able to quit. Unfortunately, you may end up addicted to vaping instead, so the benefits of vaping for smoking cessation may not be as good as they seem. Theres no benefit to vaping if you dont already smoke.

People usually think vaping isnt as bad as cigarette smoking, but the mist you breathe in still has nicotine and other harmful chemicals in it. Vaping isnt safe and can cause health problems, including life-threatening lung injuries.

Some damage to your lungs from vaping can heal or get better with medications. Others, like lung scarring, are permanent. Over time, constant irritation to your lungs can lead to health problems (like asthma and COPD) that wont go away.

In some cases, yes, you can die from lung injuries vaping causes. For instance, 68 people died in an outbreak of vaping-related illness (EVALI) in 2019 and 2020.

No, its not safe to vape while youre pregnant. Vaping exposes you to some of the same chemicals that cigarette smoking does. Vaping while pregnant can cause low birth weight, lung damage and brain damage in the developing fetus.

Vaping isnt approved as a way to quit smoking. Approved methods include patches, inhalers, lozenges and gum. While vaping might help you quit smoking, it probably wont help you quit nicotine altogether.

In a recent study, about 18% of people who switched to vaping had been able to quit smoking. Thats about twice as many people as those who used other methods to quit smoking. However, about 80% of people who quit smoking were still vaping. Of people who used other methods, 91% kicked nicotine products altogether.

Quitting vaping is similar to quitting smoking, sticking to a diet or any other habit you want to change. Its a process that wont happen overnight, but you can make a plan to help you along the way:

A note from Cleveland Clinic

From accessories to flavors, vaping can seem very appealing. Unfortunately, its not as harmless as it seems. We know nicotine and other ingredients in e-liquids can hurt your body and we still dont know what long-term health problems vaping could cause. If you dont vape, dont start. If you need help quitting, know that youre not alone. There are online resources, texting and phone services and apps that connect you with real people to help you on your journey to kick the habit.

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Vaping (E-Cigarettes): What It Is, Side Effects & Dangers

Heart Health Know Your Heart Risks

Featured Expert:

By now, it seems pretty clear that using e-cigarettes, or vaping, is bad for your lungs. But research about exactly how vaping affects the lungs is in the initial stages, says Johns Hopkins lung cancer surgeon Stephen Broderick.

In the last 24 to 36 months, Ive seen an explosive uptick of patients who vape, reports Broderick. With tobacco, we have six decades of rigorous studies to show which of the 7,000 chemicals inhaled during smoking impact the lungs. But with vaping, we simply dont know the short- or long-term effects yet and which e-cigarette components are to blame.

Although theres no definitive answer at this point, experts do have a theory about how vaping harms lungs.

Both smoking and vaping involve heating a substance and inhaling the resulting fumes. With traditional cigarettes, you inhale smoke from burning tobacco. With vaping, a device (typically a vape pen or a mod an enhanced vape pen that may look like a flash drive) heats up a liquid (called vape juice or e-liquid) until it turns into a vapor that you inhale.

Vaping is a delivery system similar to a nebulizer, which people with asthma or other lung conditions may be familiar with, says Broderick. A nebulizer turns liquid medicine into a mist that patients breathe in. Its a highly effective way of delivering medicine to the lungs.

Instead of bathing lung tissue with a therapeutic mist, just as a nebulizer does, vaping coats lungs with potentially harmful chemicals. E-liquid concoctions usually include some mix of flavorings, aromatic additives and nicotine or THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes psychological effects), dissolved in an oily liquid base. We think that some of the vaporized elements of the oil are getting deep down into the lungs and causing an inflammatory response, explains Broderick.

The substance at the center of investigation is vitamin E. Its often used as a thickening and delivery agent in e-liquid. And, while its safe when taken orally as a supplement or used on the skin, its likely an irritant when inhaled. Its been found in the lungs of people with severe, vaping-related damage.

Other common substances found in e-liquid or produced when its heated up may also pose a risk to the lungs. These include:

Smoking electronic cigarettes is often considered safer than regular smoking. Learn why vaping is still harmful, and why you should rethink taking it up.

Over time, as e-cigarette use continues, experts will gain a better understanding of how vaping affects the lungs. What we do know right now is that several lung diseases are associated with vaping:

Popcorn lung is another name for bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), a rare condition that results from damage of the lungs small airways. BO was originally discovered when popcorn factory workers started getting sick. The culprit was diacetyl, a food additive used to simulate butter flavor in microwave popcorn.

Diacetyl is frequently added to flavored e-liquid to enhance the taste. Inhaling diacetyl causes inflammation and may lead to permanent scarring in the smallest branches of the airways popcorn lung which makes breathing difficult. Popcorn lung has no lasting treatment. There are, however, treatments that manage BO symptoms, such as:

Unlike the classic pneumonia caused by infection, lipoid pneumonia develops when fatty acids (the building blocks of fat) enter the lungs. Vaping-related lipoid pneumonia is the result of inhaling oily substances found in e-liquid, which sparks an inflammatory response in the lungs. Symptoms of lipoid pneumonia include:

Theres isnt a good treatment for lipoid pneumonia, other than supportive care, while the lungs heal on their own, says Broderick. The single-most important thing you can do is identify what is causing it in this case vaping and eliminate it.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, occurs when theres a hole in the lung through which oxygen escapes. This can be the result of an injury such as a gunshot or knife wound or when air blisters on the top of the lungs rupture and create tiny tears.

Those who develop these blisters are usually tall, thin people who had a period of rapid growth during adolescence, says Broderick. Because of the accelerated growth, a weak point may blister and develop at the top of the lungs. On their own, these blisters dont typically produce symptoms. You dont know you have them, unless they rupture. Smoking and now vaping are associated with an increased risk of bursting these blisters, leading to lung collapse.

At Johns Hopkins, were seeing a rash of collapsed lungs in younger people, reports Broderick. We always ask if theyve been smoking, and theyll often say, No, I dont smoke. But I do vape. Now we tell patients not to smoke or vape if they want to avoid another lung collapse and surgery in the future.

Signs of a collapsed lung include:

Oxygen treatment and rest may be all thats need for a collapsed lung to heal. But more advanced cases require a chest tube to drain leaked oxygen from the body cavity or surgery to repair the hole in the lung.

Cancer is definitely a concern, given that vaping introduces a host of chemicals into the lungs. But vaping products havent been around long enough for us to learn whether or not they cause cancer.

We do know that smoking tobacco forces tiny particles to be deposited deep in the bronchial tree and can lead to the development of cancer. The same may be true for vaping, says Broderick.

Its a myth that secondhand emissions from e-cigarettes are harmless. Many people think the secondhand vapor is just water, but this couldnt be farther from the truth. The vapor emitted when someone exhales contains a variety of dangerous substances, which may include:

Although secondhand vapor may not affect the lungs the same way as vaping, it is better to avoid it, if possible.

If you smoke or vape, dont brush off chest or lung pain as something thats normal. If you have pain or other symptoms associated with breathing difficulties, such as shortness of breath and chronic cough, its important to see a doctor.

Continued here:

What Does Vaping Do to Your Lungs? | Johns Hopkins Medicine

1. NIH-funded studies show damaging effects of vaping, smoking on blood vessels  National Institutes of Health (.gov)
2. Smoking and vaping had overlapping adverse health effects, dual product use may be worse  American Heart Association
3. Smoking, Vaping Have Similar Heart Health Effects  Healthline
4. Vaping is just as bad for your heart as cigarettes, landmark study finds  The Independent
5. UofL study reveals e-cigarettes cause cardiac arrhythmias  WLKY Louisville
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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NIH-funded studies show damaging effects of vaping, smoking on blood vessels - National Institutes of Health (.gov)

Doctor reacts to new report showing that vaping is on the rise among women in West Virginia  WTRF

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Doctor reacts to new report showing that vaping is on the rise among women in West Virginia - WTRF