A vast meta-analysis on the respiratory effects of vaping concludes that electronic cigarettes are not without health consequences and that there is an urgent need to better regulate their use.
Are electronic cigarettes as harmful to health as tobacco? While in the United States, flavored electronic cigarettes will soon be banned, a new meta-analysis published Monday, September 30 in the British Medical Journal highlights the deleterious effects of vaping on the respiratory system. According to the authors of this vast study, from four major American universities, the effects of electronic cigarettes on lung health have both “similarities with those of traditional cigarettes” but also “significant differences”.
An increase in lung problems
First Difference in Measurement and Comparison health effects of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes : chronology. Although the long-term effects of tobacco consumption are now well known by the scientific community, it is still too early to determine what the long-term effects of e-cigarette use will be on health.
“Current knowledge (…) is insufficient to determine whether the effects of e-cigarettes on respiratory health are inferior to those, now evident, of combustible tobacco products”, recognizes Rob Tarran, professor of cellular biology and physiology and member of the UNC Marsico Lung Institute.
Despite this lack of hindsight due to the recent use of electronic cigarettes, the researchers were able to observe, by analyzing the studies published on the subject, that there was a correlation between vaping and an increase in respiratory symptoms, particularly in teenagers, “such as increased bronchitis-like symptoms, increased asthma, shortness of breath.”
A number of reviewed studies in humans and/or animals also point to the effects of vaping on the entire lung or increased risk of lung damage and immunosuppression, such as increased susceptibility to bacterial infections or viral.
“We have also assessed the effects of vaping on cells in vitro. Most studies have shown that exposure to lung cells via e-liquid has effects such as general cytotoxicity and impaired specialized functions, such as secretion and phagocytosis, which are important for proper lung function,” the researchers add.
The possible health effects of e-liquids like nicotine, propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin and flavorings were also analyzed by the researchers. They then found harmful effects in animal and laboratory studies when these e-liquids had certain concentrations.
Better regulation of e-cigarettes
Should we therefore conclude that vaping is harmful to health? While the researchers do not advance on this question, they have nevertheless made recommendations for clinicians and the future regulation of electronic cigarettes. According to them, heavy smokers seeking to reduce their consumption can certainly turn to the e-cigarette, but the latter must be prescribed with caution and never to replace other therapeutic means of weaning not containing nicotine. “We recommend that vaping products be more strictly regulated, similar to pharmaceutical products which undergo a well-defined series of preclinical and human studies before being put on the market”, concludes Dr. Tarran.
This new study comes as in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that vaping has caused the death of twelve people and at least 805 confirmed or probable cases of lung problems related to vaping. electronic cigarette.
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