In England, a 26-year-old woman developed pneumonia, a lung infection, due to her daily use of an electronic cigarette.
- Electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco unlike traditional cigarettes.
- A young British woman recently suffered from pneumonia linked to vaping.
- The long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown.
An alternative to cigarettes, the e-cigarette or electronic cigarette has attracted many former smokers. Nearly 3 million people have switched to electronic cigarettes, according to the Eurobarometer carried out in May 2017 by the European Commission.
The long-term effects of vaping are unknown
Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, but they may contain nicotine, the molecule responsible for withdrawal and dependence syndromes. Vaping is therefore considered less dangerous than smoking. However, the long-term health effects of electronic cigarettes remain unknown.
In England, in Worksop, Jodie Hudson, 26, was vaping “anywhere and any way” every day. Last September, the young mother of a two-year-old boy suffered from severe attacks of dizziness and shortness of breath which prevented her from moving. She went to the emergency room where she also began to experience tremors, sweating and difficulty standing.
Pneumonia linked to the use of electronic cigarettes
As the media explained Daily Mail, medical teams quickly treated the British woman due to her low oxygen levels, low blood pressure and high heart rate. An electrocardiogram (ECG) and a chest x-ray were then performed. Verdict: Jodie Hudson suffered from vaping-related pneumonia.
Mainly caused by bacteria, pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection of the lung tissue, which generally affects one of the two lungs. However, e-cigarette use could lead to pneumonia when the oily substances in the e-liquid enter the lungs and trigger an inflammatory response.
At this time, Jodie Hudson’s doctors do not know whether her pneumonia caused permanent damage to her lungs. The latter must carry out a new x-ray to check their condition. “The doctors said it was obvious that vaping was having an effect on my lungs (…) It was a real wake-up call. I used to struggle to quit smoking, but now I have. done in one go. I will never smoke again and I will never vape again”she told the British newspaper.
