E-cigarettes cause MORE lung inflammation than regular cigarettes
Vape users suffer more lung inflammation than people who smoke regular cigarettes, a study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said electronic devices cause “unique” damage to the lungs that is not yet fully understood.
The study is the latest evidence to highlight how vaping is not the risk-free cessation method that was initially promoted.
Other researchers have found that e-cigarettes cause heart and lung damage on par with traditional cigarettes.
Researchers found that vapers had more inflammation in their lungs than people who smoked regular cigarettes (file photo)
The radiotracer used by the researchers was able to highlight areas of inflammation in the lungs within 45 seconds (red).
The researchers gave 15 people a tracing chemical that binds to inflammation in the lungs and makes it visible on CT scans.
Participants were either vaping users, traditional smokers, or people who had never used either device.
The results showed significantly more inflammation in the lungs of vapers than smokers or non-smokers.
But interestingly, the tobacco smokers did not suffer from more inflammation than those who did not use any device.
‘We found evidence that [e-cigarette] use elicits a unique inflammatory response in the lungs,’ the researchers wrote in the study.
More than 2.5 million American minors use e-cigarettes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released last year.
Experts have described youth use as a crisis, with some warning that the United States will face an increase in lung-related health problems in the future.
“The commercial use of tobacco products continues to threaten the health of our nation’s youth,” Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said in November.
For the Penn study, the researchers recruited five nonsmokers, five people who smoke typical combustible cigarettes, and five vapers.
They were age- and sex-matched with each other to control for inflammation related to external factors.
Each was injected with a radiotracer called 207 MBq F-18 NOS. These traces are often used to find radioactive irregularities, as they can be detected on CT scans.
In cancer treatment, for example, a doctor can inject a tracer that binds to tumor tissue and scan a person for signs that they might soon develop the disease.
Within 42 seconds of the injection, the tracer had completely covered a person’s lungs and could detect signs of inflammation.
The researchers, who published their findings last week in the Nuclear Medicine Journalfound no difference in lung inflammation between non-smokers and cigarette users.
However, they found a significant increase in lung inflammation in the vaping group compared to the others.
Lung inflammation is not always permanent or severe. It is well known that some suffer from lung inflammation after suffering from a viral illness such as the common cold.
However, in some cases, the inflammation can lead to scar tissue, which could later lead to cancer.
This type of damage is also linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Health officials are still investigating the true impact e-cigarettes have on the lungs, but early data shows the devices could have devastating long-term effects.
A chemical included in many flavored vape products, diacetyl, has been linked to the devastating lung condition of popcorn.
Medically known as bronchiolitis obliterans, it occurs when the chemical forms scar tissue in the lungs and blocks airflow.
Other studies have linked long-term vaping to obstruction of the airways in the lungs, which are linked to conditions like asthma and COPD.
Another recent study found that the devices can cause DNA damage comparable to that of cigarettes, opening users up to developing cancer in the future.
However, the devices are still believed to be less harmful than cigarettes, and combustible versions are linked to many cancers and lung conditions.
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